After camping in Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur for almost a month, the Indian women’s team will travel abroad on an exposure tour as part of preparation for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to be held in India next year.
Earlier, head coach Thomas Dennerby had emphasized the importance of playing competitive matches in his preparation for the continental tournament. Now, Indian Eve is scheduled to leave for the UAE on Thursday, 30 September, where they will play two friendly matches against the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia.
After two friendlies in the UAE, the Indian women’s team will travel to Bahrain to play two more friendly matches against Bahrain and Chinese Taipei.
This is likely to be followed by a brief stint in Sweden, where they are set to face the two Damalsvenskan league teams, subject to permission from the relevant authorities for Indian nationals arriving in Sweden.
“In addition to four matches against UAE, Tunisia, Chinese Taipei and Bahrain, we also have two confirmed matches against two Swedish Premier League teams. We are in the process of sorting out the travel protocol in the country as the entry of Indian nationals to Sweden is still not open,” said head coach Thomas Dennerby.
“I appreciate AIFF’s efforts in finding teams ready to play matches against us in such circumstances,” he added.
“We have been training for a month in Jamshedpur to prepare for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2020. Unfortunately, the current pandemic situation is difficult and the reality is that different countries have different quarantine restrictions which kills many options. Entry for Indian teams to some countries for Indians is either still not open, or involves a major quarantine period,” Dennerby expressed.
The head coach had already spoken about the importance of playing quality matches to fit the girls’ match before major tournaments, and believes friendly teams in the UAE and Bahrain need to assess themselves. will help.
“The matches in the UAE and Bahrain will allow us to judge for ourselves where we stand against some pretty competitive opponents. Teams need to build up their defense and build-up process, and all that is judged in an international match,” expressed the coach.
The Indian women’s team, as part of their preparations for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022, will be based out of Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, training in facilities provided by the Jharkhand government.
“It is difficult to arrange such things during the pandemic, and having facilities for training in Jamshedpur has been very helpful. The Jharkhand government has left no stone unturned in providing us the necessary facilities and for this we are all grateful. “I am hopeful that with the right mix of training and friendly against quality opponents, we can be ready for the Asian Cup.”
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