Koite to represent Italy at the FIFA U15 World Cup & Festival
The Nerazzurri midfielder called up by Italy head coach Battisti
Malick Koite has been called up to the Italy U15 squad by head coach Enrico Battisti for the FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival, a competition open to players born in 2011 and 2012, which will take place in Baku and involve 191 national football associations from around the world.
The 2012-born midfielder, captain of Atalanta's U15 side, is among the 14 players selected for the competition, which will feature eight-a-side matches on reduced-size pitches, lasting 40 minutes each (two 20-minute halves).
Italy have been drawn in Group L alongside Benin, the Cook Islands, Hong Kong, Qatar and Turkmenistan. The Azzurrini will make their debut against Turkmenistan on Saturday 24 October at 08:15 on Pitch 5 of the Hovsan Competition Complex in Baku.
The competition will be divided into two stages: a qualifying phase from 24 to 26 October, featuring 474 matches, followed by the tournament phase from 28 to 30 October, with 463 fixtures. Based on the results of the opening stage, the teams will be divided into six performance tiers.
The Azzurrini have gathered in Granozzo con Monticello, in the province of Novara, where they will take part in three training sessions over two days at the Novarello Villaggio Azzurro Sports Centre, before departing for Baku on Thursday morning.