Bahrain name squad for camp, friendlies

TDT | Manama                                        

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com   

Bahrain have named a 25-player senior men’s national squad for their latest training camp and their two upcoming international friendly matches set to take place at home later this month.

The call-ups of national team head coach Helio Sousa were announced yesterday by the Bahrain Football Association.

They include just two of the Kingdom’s overseas-based professionals, and local stars from Riffa, Al Khaldiya, Manama, Muharraq, Al Ahli, Budaiya and Al Shabab.

The team’s training camp is scheduled to kick off tonight and continue until March 28.

That evening, they will play an international friendly against Syria, which will be their second of that week as they will also face their counterparts from Palestine on March 25.

Sousa’s call-ups currently plying their trade with other Gulf football clubs are Ali Madan from Ajman in the UAE and Mohammed Jassim Marhoon from Kuwait SC in Kuwait.

From defending league champions Riffa, Sousa has selected Ali Haram, Sayed Hashim Issa, Jassim Al Shaikh and Komail Al Aswad.

Joining the national team from Khaldiya are Ahmed Bughammar, Mahdi Humaidan, Mohammed Adel, Mohammed Hardan and Sayed Dhiya Saeed.

From Manama are Ahmed Nabeel, Ammar Abbas, Ebrahim Al Khattal, Mahdi Abduljabbar and Mahdi Abdullatif; while from Muharraq are Abdulla Al Khalasi, Amine Hasan, Hamza Juban, Waleed Al Hayyam and veteran goalkeeper Sayed Mohammed Jaafar.

Abbas Fadhel and Ebrahim Al Luthfallah have been called up from Al Ahli, while completing the squad list are Omar Salem from Budaiya and Hussein Ali Abdulla from Shabab.

Bahrain’s two tune-ups later this month will be the first action for the Bahrainis since competing in the 25th Arab Gulf Cup in Iraq in January.

The nationals are using the matches to prepare for their upcoming competitions, including the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, to be held in Doha in January of next year.

The tournament was originally scheduled to take place this summer, but had to be rescheduled after original hosts China withdrew from organising the event due to circumstances caused by COVID-19.

Bahrain are one of 24 teams who have qualified for the Asian Cup.