Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Muscat: Coach Lee Kwang-jong is hoping a successful AFC U-22 Championship can lay the foundations for Korea Republic to build on their bronze medal success at the 2012 Olympic Games in Brazil in two years’ time.
Korea became only the second Asian nation to win a medal in the football tournament at the Olympic Games after beating Japan 2-0 in the bronze medal play-off in London.
And with the next edition of the AFC U-22 Championship doubling as the qualifiers for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, Lee is looking for his side to start their preparations in Muscat this month with Korea beginning their AFC U-22 Championship campaign against Jordan at Royal Oman Police Stadium in Group A on Saturday.
“We have prepared well and we think we can play well and perform well in this tournament,” said Korea Republic Lee.
“This tournament is important for the players, especially as they can gain experience. We have a lot of young players and it will be beneficial for the Olympics which will be held in three years.
“Jordan are at a high level in Asia so we will not underestimate them. It is important to win the first game and it will be helpful to get to the next stage.”
Jordan are boosted by the recent arrivals of both Oday Zahran and Tareq Khattab, who played in Tuesday’s WAFF Championship final defeat by Qatar.
Coach Islam Al Diabat, though, will be without defender Ibrahim Daldoom due to suspension against Korea.
“We have prepared well and we ready to play any team. We have a full picture of the other teams in the group and we are ready to play and show our talents,” said Jordan coach Al Diabat.
‘There are some players from the WAFF Championship and they have joined the team. We have been preparing for a year and a half for this tournament.
“It will be good to win the tournament as it will motivate the players. We will look to follow the strategy set by the federation and it will be good preparation for the players for the future.”
Hosts Oman also featured at the recently concluded WAFF Championship in Qatar, exiting in the group stage following goalless draws with Iraq and Bahrain.
Coach Philippe Burle, though, will be without defender Muheeb Issa due to suspension for Saturday’s Group A opener against Myanmar at Sultan Qaboos Stadium.
“We prepared during the WAFF Championship in Qatar and we played against Iraq and Bahrain and we came back to Oman and played against China and DPR Korea. Our target is the same as every team, and that is to win the most matches possible,” said Oman coach Burle.
“I have not seen Myanmar play, just some videos online. We don’t have any information but I expect they will be a good team because they qualified with Korea Republic.
“This is a very important tournament because for some of these players they will go on to play for the national team, but for some of these players it will be the last chance to play in a tournament like this.”
Myanmar earned their place at the AFC U-22 Championship after finishing runners-up behind Korea in the qualifiers with an unbeaten record.
“We are just in the development stage with this team. The players are very young and about one third of the players are under 19. We have had 14 days to prepare for this tournament in Thailand and played a top club there as well as the U-20 team,” said Myanmar coach Gerd Zeise.
“Our results at this tournament are not important, but it is important to get experience for the players to develop our football as we are hosting the AFC U-19 Championship in October.
“This tournament is important for the young players who don’t have a chance to play in the league and get experience against strong teams. It is important to perform well and for the players to do their best.
“I have some information about Oman and we know that they are a strong team.”