Kolkata, Sep 24 (UNI) After setting up camp in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand,
for around a month, the Indian Women’s Team will
travel abroad on an exposure tour as part of their preparation for the
AFC Women’s Asian Cup,
which is set to take place in India next year.
Head coach Thomas Dennerby has stressed on the importance of playing
competitive matches in their preparation for
the continental tournament. Now, the Indian eves are set to leave for
UAE on Thursday, September 30,
where they will play two friendlies against the United Arab Emirates
and Tunisia.
After the two friendlies in the UAE, the Indian Women’s Team will then
travel to Bahrain to play two more friendlies against Bahrain and
Chinese Taipei.
That is likely to be followed by a brief stint in Sweden, where they
are set to face two Damallsvenskan league teams, subject to permission
to Indian citizens arriving in Sweden from relevant authorities.
“Besides the four matches against UAE, Tunisia, Chinese Taipei and
Bahrain, we also have two confirmed matches against two
Swedish premier league teams. We are in the process of sorting out the
travel protocol to the country as entry of Indian citizens
to Sweden is still not open yet,” Thomas Dennerby stated.
“I appreciate the efforts of the AIFF in finding us teams willing to
play matches against us under such circumstances,” he added.
“We have been training in Jamshedpur for a month, in our quest to
prepare for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2020.
Unfortunately, the current pandemic situation is tough and the reality
is that there are different quarantine restrictions in
different countries which kills many options for the Indian teams as
entry for Indians in some countries is either still not yet open,
or involves a major quarantine period,” Dennerby expressed.
The Head Coach had already spoken about the importance of playing
quality matches to get the girls match fit
ahead of the big tournament, and he believes that the friendlies in
UAE and Bahrain will help the team assess itself.
“The matches in UAE and Bahrain will allow us to judge ourselves where
we stand against some good competitive opponents.
Teams need to build up their defence, and also the build-up process,
and all of that is judged in an international match,” the coach
expressed.
The Indian Women’s Team, as part of their preparation for the AFC
Women’s Asian Cup India 2022, will be based out of Jamshedpur,
Jharkhand, training in facilities provided by the Jharkhand
Government.
“It’s difficult to arrange such things during a pandemic, and it has
been very helpful to have the facilities to train in Jamshedpur. The
Jharkhand Government has left no stone unturned in providing us with
the necessary facilities, and we are all thankful for that,” he said.
“I hope with the correct mixture of training and friendlies against
quality opponents, we can be more than ready for the Asian Cup.”
UNI PC KK