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| Calendar of Events |
| 13/11/2008 |
Organising Committee for AFC Youth Competitions
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| 20/11/2008 |
Women's Committee |
| 20/11/2008 |
AFC Women's Awards Night 2008 |
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| Oman |
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| Al Azzani: Oman handed tough draw |
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| Interim coach Hamad Al Azzani believes Oman have been handed a tough Asian Cup qualifying draw. (AFP) |
DOHA – Caretaker Oman coach Hamad Al Azzani believes that the 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualifying draw, which took place in Doha on Thursday, has not been particularly kind to the Gulf sultanate.
"Our group is one of the toughest and if we want to qualify for the Asian Cup we must work very hard and play very well," said Al Azzani after Oman had been drawn to face Australia, AFC Asian Cup 2007 co-hosts Indonesia, and Gulf rivals Kuwait.
Having led Al Nahda to the quarter-finals of the 2008 AFC Cup Al Azzani was seen as the ideal candidate to fill the void created when the Oman FA dispensed with the services of Uruguayan head coach Julio Cesar Ribas following their poor form in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
And whether or not the 38-year-old remains in the national team hot seat come January when the Asian Cup qualifiers begin, Al Azzani knows Oman have a difficult task in qualifying to the continental finals for the third time in a row.
"Australia have a lot of well known players and they will definitely be a tough team to play against,” he said.
"Indonesia cannot be underestimated because they performed very well at the last Asian Cup and we also have a special rivalry with Kuwait."
Oman’s Qatar 2011 campaign begins on January 14 at home to Indonesia before they travel to Kuwait for the first of two Gulf derbies a fortnight later.
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