Football: BAHRAIN SET FOR SYRIA CHALLENGE – Gulf Digital News

  • Date: 03-Nov-2022
  • Source: Gulf Digital News
  • Sector:Technology
  • Country:Bahrain
  • Who else needs to know?

Football: BAHRAIN SET FOR SYRIA CHALLENGE – Gulf Digital News





Bahrain will square off against Syria today in their opening Group B fixture of the 2022 West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) U23 Championship at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.

Head coach Dario Basic has selected a 23-member squad for the six-team tournament which, he says, is the first step in his quest to guide the young team towards qualifying for the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup and, eventually, the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

“I’m very happy with the players that we’ve selected for this tournament,” Basic, 37, told the GDN by phone from Jeddah. “We have a very strong group here and there are also some very good players that we couldn’t bring to this competition who remain part of our plans for the future.”

Basic, a seasoned campaigner who has coached various age-level teams around the world starting with an U17 national team in his native Croatia, was appointed to his current role in April this year and is focused on long-term goals for the team.

“We don’t have short-term ambitions,” he explained. “We have long-term goals, like qualifying for the Asian Cup and the 2024 Olympics.

“Also, it is my responsibility to groom these young players for the senior national