Indian Men’s Football Team To Play International Friendlies Against Bahrain, Belarus In March

The senior Indian men’s football team will play two international friendlies against Bahrain and Belarus on March 23, and March 26, 2022, respectively. The matches are part of the preparation of the Indian men’s senior national team’s campaign in the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 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 in an AIFF release.

“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,” he 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,” the coach mentioned.

For the record, Bahrain are placed at 91 in the FIFA Rankings, while Belarus are on 94. India’s current FIFA Ranking is 104.

The last time India played any UEFA Member Association was more than a decade ago in February 2012 against Azerbaijan, a match which the rivals won 3-0.

The Belarus contingent consists of many international players who ply their trade in the Russian Premier League (three players), and also the first league (three players), while a few more are also contracted with clubs in Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Cyprus.

Stimac, who coached Croatia to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 also underlined the importance of taking “necessary precautions, and staying safe.”

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“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.

Both the matches will be played in Manama, Bahrain from 9:30 pm IST onwards (7 pm local time, Bahrain).