Indian men’s football team to play international friendlies against Bahrain, Belarus in March
The Indian men’s national football team will play two international friendlies against Bahrain and Belarus on March 23, and March 26 s respectively. Both the games, which will be played in Manama, Bahrain, are a part of the preparation squad’s campaign in the AFC Asian Cup third round qualifiers, which is scheduled to be held in June 2022.
“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.
He also 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.”
Stimac further 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.”
Stimac, who managed Croatia to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 also underlined the significance 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 said.
