THE highly-ranked delegation from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) started their regular meetings with members of the local organising committee to put the final touches on the 2016 AFC Under-19 Championship, which gets underway in Bahrain on Thursday.
Deputy chairman of the organising committee Ali Al Buainain chaired the meeting, deputising for committee chairman and Bahrain Football Association president Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa.
Both the organising committee and the AFC delegation discussed the mechanism of joint action between the two sides and the programme set in preparation for the tournament.
Bahrain, the 1986 edition runners-up, resumed training yesterday under national coach Abdulaziz Abdo.
Bahrain will kick off their campaign on Thursday when they face two-time champions Saudi Arabia in a tough Group ‘A’ opener at 7.30pm at the Khalifa Sports City Center in Isa Town.
The hosts will also take on 12-time champions South Korea and an improving Thailand in what seems to be the most challenging group in the tournament.
Meanwhile, teams continued to touch down on Bahrain with defending champions Qatar and highly-favourites side the UAE being among arrivals.
Other teams will continue to flock to the kingdom today with the arrival of five countries – Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Australia and Iran. Yemen, China, North Korea, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Saudi Arabia are due to arrive in the next two days.
In other developments, top sports officials from Bahrain believe the national team is capable of competing with the continent’s best countries for the prestigious trophy.
His Majesty the King’s Representative for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, Supreme Council for Youth and Sports chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa witnessed the team’s most recent training and wished them success.
This initiative was lauded by team manager Shaikh Khalid bin Salman Al Khalifa, who noted the impact of this visit on each member of the team. He added that the team is at its peak form thanks to Shaikh Nasser’s continued follow-up and significant support in the past stage.
On his part, Bahrain Olympic Committee board member and president of the Bahrain and Asian Bodybuilding Federation and Bahrain Weightlifting Association Shaikh Abdulla bin Rashid Al Khalifa said the home team has all what it takes to excel in this major continental battle.
Shaikh Abdulla said the team’s recent results at regional and international competitions were promising ahead of the 39th edition of this tournament.
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