Colombo Athletic Football Academy first Lankan team for IBER cup in Portugal

Colombo Athletic Football academy has made history by becoming the first Sri Lankan football academy to receive an invitation to the Iber Cup, held annually in Portugal and widely regarded as one of the most important youth football tournaments in the world.

The invitation is a landmark moment for Sri Lankan football, with Colombo Athletic joining an elite group of academies from across the globe that compete in this prestigious tournament each year.

The Iber Cup has served as a launchpad for some of the biggest names in world football today and is one of the world’s most prestigious annual youth football tournaments, held in Portugal.

What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that Colombo Athletic’s academy is just fifteen months old. In under two years, the club has established itself on the international stage, earning recognition from tournament organisers who invite only the best youth academies in the world.

Central to Colombo Athletic’s rapid rise is its long-term collaboration with the AC Milan Academy Junior Camp. The club has adopted the renowned AC Milan development methodology, instilling world-class training systems, technical discipline, and footballing philosophy in its young players from the ground up.

”We are so excited, that in just 15 months since our start we have taken this giant step of being invited to one of the most prestigious youth tournaments. Whatever the outcome we are so grateful for this opportunity,” says Ajai Vir Singh, President, Colombo Athletic Football Club / AC Milan Junior academy camp Sri Lanka.

“This exposure will mean a lot for your Sri Lankan players. We are first academy in Sri Lanka which has a collaboration with AC Milan. This provides us with a base to teach a successful system which is called the ‘Milan Method’. We tarin on this system and it is bearing fruit.”

The academy is sponsored are Prima Kothumi, Mastercard, Cinnamon Grand, Sorrell, Health Scan and patronage of three important individuals.

Picture: The team for IBER Cup- Akein Ekanayake (captain), Adnaan Ali, Shatein Saheed, Aamish Wasim, Nathan Samuel, Arian Singh, Senal Arsecularatne, Yasiru Dissanayake, Nicolas Stefan, Myron Fernando, Thashwin Sudharshanan, Amaan Morris, Deigo Mudiyanselage, Umar Mashood, Ethan Fonseca, Aaron Fernando