Bahrain futsal team gearing up for Asian event

TDT | Manama           

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s senior men’s national futsal team have stepped up their preparations for the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2022, which is set to take place in Kuwait City kicking off on Tuesday next week. The Bahrainis are one of 16 teams from across the continent taking part in the competition, which is being held for the 17th time. They have been training daily locally under the supervision of Brazilian head coach Lino Gomes. Bahrain are in Group B for the preliminary round alongside Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

There are four groups in all for the competition’s opening stage. Group A features hosts Kuwait, Iraq, Thailand and Oman; Group C comprises Iran, Lebanon, Chinese Taipei and Indonesia; and Group D includes Japan, Vietnam, South Korea and Saudi Arabia.

Each of the top two teams from all four groups move through to the quarter-finals following a single round-robin. The Bahrainis booked their tickets to this year’s Asian Cup after finishing second in their group in the West Zone qualifying tournament held last April in the UAE.

Gomes also helped guide the men’s team to the futsal bronze medal at the third GCC Games held in May. This year’s Asian Cup will mark the third time that Bahrain are participating. The nationals previously competed in 2002, when they could not make it past the first round, and then in 2018, when they advanced to the quarter-finals.