Today the pools of the FIH Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 were announced. Here is what the teams had to say on their pools.
Pool A
Iñaki Minadeo, Argentina
"We are very excited and preparing well for this tournament. We know it will be very difficult but we will give our best"
Faris Harizan, Malayisa
"I would like to welcome all 15 teams to Malaysia for the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup. As the host team, we will perform our best throughout this tournament and I hope all Malaysians will continue to show their full support for our team. Join us at National Hockey Stadium Bukit Jalil and enjoy the thrill of the 2023 FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup, Malaysia, from 5th to 16th December 2023."
Jay Stacy, Coach, Australia
“We are looking forward to the Junior World Cup. For many of our team this will be the biggest and most important event they have ever played in. We are fortunate that we have some experience playing in Malaysia, through the Sultan of Johor Cup, and we hope we can bring that experience to Kuala Lumpur in December."
Pool B
Germany
"We are really looking forward to play the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup in Malaysia. It's going to be a great experience. See you there!"
Matthias Dierckens, Coach, France
"We are excited to play another Junior World Cup. It will be a good opportunity for our young talents to show what they are capable of, 7 months before welcoming the Olympic Games on our home soil. After a Silver medal in 2013 and a Bronze Medal in 2021 we will see how far this team can go and compete with best junior players in the world."
Mustapha Cassiem, South Africa
"For the South African u21 team the tournament provides an opportunity to create hope for the future of South African hockey and its community. I believe we have the ability to not only compete but to create history for our Nation. I believe that we can do something special and portray what it means to represent South Africa. This is an extremely exciting time for this group and something many of us can only dream of."
Anes Khaled, Manager, Egypt
"We are thrilled to be qualified to join the Men’s Junior World Cup in Malaysia and present Egypt with such a great team. We believe that we can accomplish good performance and a good ranking.Thank you for your usual support."
Pool C
Uttam Singh, India
"We are all very excited to have qualified for the upcoming FIH Junior Men's World Cup 2023. With victories at the Sultan of Johor Cup and the Junior Asia Cup, the Indian Junior Men's Team is brimming with optimism and is confident of a Podium finish at the Junior World Cup in Malaysia.The passionate Malaysian spectators add an extra level of excitement to the event, and we can't wait to go there and do our best."
Pete Amat and Bruno Font, Spain
"We are really excited to participate in the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup in Malaysia."
Gong Yoonho, Korea
"Our team has earned a spot to participate in this prestigious World Cup. Our goal for the Korean team in this Junior World Cup is to advance to the quarterfinals. In the previous Junior World Cup held in India, we finished 10th, which was a disappointment. However, with the addition of experienced players from the India Junior World Cup and Oman Junior Asian Cup, our national team has become stronger. We are determined to achieve our goal and showcase the bright future of Korea hockey. Korea hockey, fighting!"
Jyoth Sidhu, Canada
“Stepping onto the grand stage of the 2023 FIH Men’s Junior World Cup is a testament to Canada’s unwavering dedication and relentless pursuit of excellence. We are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude for having qualified, for this journey has been a true test of our team’s resilience and skill. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a paradise for hockey enthusiasts, beckons us with open arms. Together, we look to write our names into the newest pages of hockey history.”
Pool D
Patrick Ward, New Zealand
“It's a special opportunity to be able to be a part of the junior World Cup as it would be a once in a Lifetime experience for us. Looking forward to playing the best of the best for our age in Malaysia with a different environment to what we are used to.”
Belgium
“We are really looking forward coming to Kuala Lumpur to play the Junior World Cup! Malaysia is a big hockey country with a lot of enthusiastic fans. It will be fantastic for us to defend our colours in front of big and loud crowds in that magnificent Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium. We will come with big ambitions, even if we know the level of competition will be high.”
Abdul Hanan Shahid, Pakistan
"It is a great opportunity for all the Pakistan hockey team players to show their potential and skills and play for the coutnry. We are looking forward to play a good competition at the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup 2023. Wishing all the other teams a good luck and see you there!"
Miles Bukkens and Menno Boeren, Netherlands
"We are looking forward to playing in the Junior World Cup and our excited to play against the other teams. See you in Malaysia!"
#RisingStars
