Indian football team to play international friendlies against Bahrain and Belarus

Both
the
matches
will
be
played
in
Manama,
Bahrain.
The
matches
are
part
of
the
preparation
for
the
national
team
campaign
in
the
2023
AFC
Asian
Cup
third
round
qualifiers,
which
is
scheduled
to
be
held
in
June.

“Given
the
current
circumstances,
it
was
extremely
difficult
to
find
the
kind
of
opponents
we
were
looking
for.
But
I
am
very
happy
that
we
have
the
two
matches
on
our
schedule,”
head
coach
Igor
Stimac
said.

“We
are
doing
our
best
to
prepare
well
for
the
upcoming
final
qualifying
round
of
the
AFC
Asian
Cup
China
2023,
and
these
two
matches
will
immensely
facilitate
our
preparatory
process,”
he
added.

“Both
Bahrain
and
Belarus
are
ranked
higher
than
us,
and
if
all
goes
well
with
the
Hero
ISL
season
with
our
boys
putting
in
good
performances,
and
playing
competitive
games
we
should
be
ready,”
the
coach
said.

Bahrain
are
placed
at
91
in
the
FIFA
rankings,
while
Belarus
are
on
94.
India’s
current
ranking
is
104.
The
last
time
India
played
any
UEFA
member
association
was
more
than
a
decade
ago
in
February
2012
against
Azerbaijan,
a
match
which
the
rivals
won
3-0.

“Playing
against
better
teams
is
the
best
way
to
improve
our
own
game,
as
that
allows
the
boys
the
chance
to
mature
playing
against,
and
with
better
speed.

“Our
youngsters
need
more
exposure
and
time
to
play,
and
practice.
Sometimes
results
may
suffer,
but
if
we
follow
the
path,
we
will
have
a
better
future
soon,”
Stimac
said.

The
Belarus
contingent
consists
of
many
international
players
who
ply
their
trade
in
the
Russian
Premier
League
(three
players),
and
also
the
first
league
(three
players),
while
a
few
more
are
also
contracted
with
clubs
in
Hungary,
Czech
Republic
and
Cyprus.

Stimac,
who
guided
Croatia
to
the
2014
FIFA
World
Cup
in
Brazil,
also
underlined
the
importance
of
taking
“necessary
precautions,
and
staying
safe.”

“We
need
to
keep
planning,
and
working
as
everything
is
fine
and
normal.
But
at
the
same
time,
we
need
to
take
precautions
to
keep
as
safe
as
possible
in
our
endeavour
to
avoid
unpleasant
situations,”
he
expressed.

With
the
broadcasting
rights
of
matches
lying
with
the
Bahrain
FA,
the
All
India
Football
Federation
(AIFF)
is
in
discussion
with
them,
and
also
with
the
Belarus
FA
for
live
telecast
of
the
games
in
India.