India: Women’s football team to travel abroad for friendly matches

Last updated on September 30th, 2021 at 10:51 am

Bahrain – Indian women’s football team will be traveling abroad to play friendly matches with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Chinese Taipei, and Tunisia. The UAE is set to host these matches on its ground from next week.

These matches will serve as preparation for the Indian team ahead of the 2022 AFC Asian Cup at home. The All India Football Federation released an itinerary on Friday where the women’s team was fixed to play friendlies with the UAE and Tunisia.

The team will reportedly leave for the UAE on September 30 following which they will be traveling to Bahrain to play two more matches, also friendly, where they will see Bahrain and Chinese Taipei in opposition.

The Head Coach Thomas Dennerby stated, “Besides the four matches against UAE, Tunisia, Chinese Taipei, and Bahrain, we also have two confirmed matches against two Swedish premier league teams.” He also added that the officials are working towards sorting out the travel plan which will be strictly adhering to the protocols.

He said this in reference to the team’s travel plans to Sweden where they will be facing two Damallsvenskan league teams, only if the Indians are allowed to enter the Sweden borders.

The head coach further stressed on the efforts made by the AIFF saying that they managed to find a team who agreed to play against India even in such circumstances. In the release, the coach also stated that he understands that Covid-19 protocols are different in every country and hence there are not many to practice with.

The team has been practicing in Jamshedpur for a month and has been preparing for the Asian Cup scheduled for January-February next year. Matches against the UAE and Bahrain will allow the officials and the Indian side to evaluate where India stands against some of the best competitive teams. Having said that, he added that the team needs to work on defense and also work towards the process. Things like this can be judged in such an international match, he said.