FOOTBALL – BAHRAIN’S senior men’s football national team are stepping up their programme in their ongoing training camp in the kingdom.
The Bahrainis continued their nightly practice sessions yesterday at the Bahrain Football Association (BFA) pitches in Riffa, under the supervision of head coach Dragan Talajic.
The nationals are scheduled to play the first of two scrimmages tonight as part of this local gathering. This evening’s informal game, which will be closed to the public, will cover a full match’s duration between Bahrain’s players, who will be divided into two groups, according to a national team official.
Their other scrimmage is scheduled for Monday next week. The games are to be played at the BFA’s grounds.
Bahrain’s training this past week has been attended by BFA board members Shaikh Ahmed bin Isa Al Khalifa and Shaikh Salman bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, along with other BFA officials.
Superstar international goalkeeper Ebrahim Luthfallah, who is currently nursing an injury that has had him sidelined the past few months, also paid a visit to the team and was warmly welcomed by his teammates.
Talajic currently has a 30-player squad taking part in training. The roster includes Mohammed Jassim Marhoon, Komail Al Aswad, Ali Madan, Mahdi Abduljabbar, Mahdi Humaidan, Sayed Dhiya Saeed, Amine Benaddi, Waleed Al Hayyam, Abdulla Al Khalasi, Mohammed Al Rumaihi, Sayed Mahmoud Almosawi, Jassim Al Shaikh, Ebrahim Alkhattal, Sayed Hashem Issa, Ahmed Bughammar, Mohammed Abdulqayoom, Saleh Al Zubaidi, Ali Al Doseri, Hussain Abdulkarim, Hassan Alkarani, Ahmed Dhiya, Sayed Redha Isa, Vincent Emmanuel, Abbas Al Asfoor, Sayed Mahdi Sharaf, and Omar Saber, along with goalkeepers Abdulkarim Fardan, Omar Salem, Godwill Chia Ndang, Mohammed Elgharably.
The camp is part of their preparations for their major upcoming competitions, among which are the 27th Gulf Cup – which they will be entering as defending champions – scheduled for later this year, and the AFC Asian Cup 2027, set for January.
This year’s Gulf Cup, organised by the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation (AGCFF) and known as ‘Khaleeji 27’, is set to be held in September and October in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It will feature the participation of eight teams, including the UAE, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Yemen, hosts Saudi, and Bahrain.
Matches are to take place at Alinma Stadium in King Abdullah Sport City and Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium. The draw date for the tournament’s group stage has yet to be announced by the AGCFF.
Meanwhile, the Bahrainis are one of 24 senior men’s squads who will be competing in the upcoming edition of the AFC Asian Cup, to be held by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) from January to February next year across three cities in Saudi.
Bahrain are one of 21 nations to already book their places in the continental competition. The draw for the Asian Cup’s preliminary round is currently scheduled for April 11 in Riyadh.
The other squads confirmed for the tournament are defending champions Qatar; former winners Australia, Iraq, Iran, Japan, South Korea, and Kuwait; and Uzbekistan, the UAE, Oman, Palestine, Jordan, China, Indonesia, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Syria, Singapore, Vietnam, and hosts Saudi, who are also ex-titlists.
The last three spots will be determined on Tuesday next week. They are being contested between Tajikistan and the Philippines, Lebanon and Yemen, and between Thailand and Turkmenistan.
Bahrain will be playing in the AFC event for the eighth time, including for the seventh straight edition.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh