Jaafar reaches Bahrain football milestone

TDT | Manama  

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahraini goalkeeper Sayed Mohammed Jaafar made sporting history on Tuesday night, becoming one of the most capped players ever in the history of the senior men’s national football team. Jaafar reached the impressive milestone of 150 appearances for the Kingdom’s side when he started Bahrain’s international friendly match against Thailand in Bangkok.

To commemorate the occasion, the 36-year-old Muharraq Club veteran was presented with a special shirt prior to kickoff, and was joined by teammates for a photograph. Jaafar’s mark is the most for any active Bahraini football player in the game.

According to national team officials, Jaafar’s total number of matches is surpassed only by the number of appearances made by retired defender Mohammed Hussain and ex-midfielder Salman Issa. The trio spearhead an exclusive shortlist of Bahraini players who have played 100 or more A internationals for the country.

The others are Sayed Mohammed Adnan, Mohammed Salmeen, Abdulla Al Marzooqi, Hussain Baba, Fawzi Aaish, Hussain Ahmed, and Sayed Dhiya Saeed and Ismaeel Abdullatif, both of whom, like Jaafar, are still regular call-ups to the national team. 

Arrival

Jaafar is expected to add more caps to his name in the coming weeks as he is currently part of a 24-player Bahrain team that arrived yesterday in Kuala Lumpur for their upcoming matches in AFC Asian Cup 2023 qualification.

The Bahraini delegation made the short trip to the Malaysian capital from Bangkok, where they held a weeks-long training camp prior. The travelling group was headed by Bahrain Football Association board member Abdulredha Haqiqi, and it included head coach Helio Sousa, his coaching and administrative staff, and the players.

The Bahrain squad in Kuala Lumpur features Jaafar and fellow-goalkeepers Sayed Shubbar Alawi, Ammar Mohammed; defenders Rashed Alhooti, Ahmed Abdulla, Waleed Al Hayyam, Ameen Denade, Ahmed Bughammar, Hamad Shamsan, Abbas Ayyad and Sayed Redha Isa; midfielders Ali Haram, Jassim Al Shaikh, Mahdi Abdullatif, Ammar Jaffar, Komail Alaswad, Abdulwahab Almalood, Ali Madan, Mohammed Jassim Marhoon, Ebrahim Al Khattal, Mahdi Humaidan and Saeed; and strikers Hashim Sayed Isa and Abdulla Yusuf.

The nationals are set to play in Group E of Asian Cup qualification alongside Turkmenistan, Bangladesh and Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. The games will be held over a single round on three matchdays, first on June 8 against Bangladesh, then on June 11 against Malaysia, and finally on June 14 against Turkmenistan. Bahrain are looking to secure their seventh appearance in the tournament proper.

They first appeared in 1988, and have qualified for the last five tournaments in 2004, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019. The Bahrainis’ best finish in the competition was fourth in 2004. They reached the last 16 in 2019, but did not make it past the group stage the other times.