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National football coach, Anthony Hudson, urges fans to rally around the kingdom’s young players as they could be Bahrain’s future ticket to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Taking his own advice to heart, the 32-year-old modern-day tactician has added a number of fresh legs to his roster for the eighth West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Championship in Doha which kick-started today.
The British expat, from Amwaj, said: “I’ve brought a lot of young players in as they need experience and we must use this time to prepare for the Asian Cup in 2015.
“We need to support these young players coming through. They are the future. They are talented. They’ve got good character. These are the players that will take us to the World Cup if we support them, give them time and good coaching.”
The WAFF championship is a competition made up of mainly West Asian countries and territories. It is usually held every two years, but, occasionally at longer intervals.
Last year, Bahrain ended fourth in the championship staged in Kuwait, with Syria the victors, runners-up Iraq and Oman in third place. This year, the competition will feature only nine of the 13 WAFF members excluding the UAE, Iran, Yemen and defending champions Syria.
Taking part in the tournament are hosts Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Palestine, that have been drawn in Group A. Meanwhile, Bahrain gets ready to take on Oman and Iraq in group B. Group C features Kuwait, Lebanon and Jordan.
Although the Bahrain national team only got together a few days before landing in the Qatari capital, Hudson is still confident and optimistic of his squad’s chances. They continued their preparations in Doha, playing their Qatari counterparts in an international friendly which they drew one-all.
Star striker, Sami Al Hossaini, will not be competing alongside his teammates as he suffered a muscle tear at the back of his left foot during the friendly, leaving him unfit to play.
Hudson said: “We’ve only been able to get the team together for a few days prior to arriving here and although we do have very tough opponents and an injury in our midst, we will still be strong.
“This is my first time at the WAFF and it would be a huge deal if Bahrain wins it. The highest we have ever been is fourth position. We have a very young team and the importance is to gain experience and to be competitive.”
Bahrain play Oman today at 8pm at Al Sadd Stadium and will take on Iraq on Saturday in the Lekhwiya SC Stadium at 8pm in their final group fixture. The semi-finals are scheduled for January 4, with the final on January 7.
Hudson had called upon defender Abdulla Ismail Omar and goalkeeper Hamad Al Doseri to join the senior team in Qatar. Omar, along with midfielder Mahmood Abdulrahman and goalkeeper Sayed Mohammed Jaffar are the most senior players on the roster.
The rest include Mohammed Duaij, Rashed Al Hooti, Mohamed Al Saud, Abdulla Abdo, Hassan Jameel, Abdulwahab Ali, Isa Ghaleb, Sayed Ahmed Jaafar, Ashraf Waheed, Waleed Al Hayam, Abdulla Al Hazza, Faisal Budahoom, Ahmed Al Khattal, Abdulwahab Al Malood, Ebrahim Habib, Ahmed Mirza, Issa Mousa, Hakeem Al Oraibi and Abbas Al Sari.
