FOOTBALL – BAHRAIN’S senior men’s football national team kicked off their local training gathering last night under the supervision of head coach Dragan Talajic.
The evening session was held at the Bahrain Football Association (BFA) pitches in Riffa, and it was the first practice of this period, which continues until Tuesday next week.
Talajic and the kingdom’s international talents came together for the first time since they competed in the Fifa Arab Cup 2025 in Doha, Qatar, last November and December.
The Croatian tactician has called up 30 players to training. The squad is led by Bahrain’s top stars Mohammed Jassim Marhoon, Komail Al Aswad, Ali Madan, Mahdi Abduljabbar, Mahdi Humaidan, Sayed Dhiya Saeed, Amine Benaddi, Waleed Al Hayyam, Abdulla Al Khalasi, and Mohammed Al Rumaihi, to name a few.
The rest of the roster features 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 Bahrainis were initially scheduled to travel to Türkiye for an overseas camp during this ongoing Fifa international break, but those plans were shelved due to the unfortunate events currently taking place in the kingdom and across the region – and have been replaced by the local gathering.
That trip to Istanbul was also set to include two international friendly matches against Uganda and Kyrgyzstan on March 26 and 30, respectively. No tune-up games are on the cards for this training period.
The Bahrainis have begun 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
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