Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Ras Al Khaimah: Midfielder Ahmed Barman has said that the 2012 AFC U-19 Championship hosts are ready and raring to go in the UAE's mission to reach the FIFA U-20 World Cup for the fourth time in the nation's history.
Continental glory would be the icing on the cake for the UAE but the first priority for the Al Ain player and his team-mates is to reach the semi-finals and qualify for next year's under 20 World Cup in Turkey.
"The friendly matches and training camps in Malaysia and Ras Al Khaimah have showed that the team is ready," Barman told local media.
"Our main target is to reach the World Cup and after we achieve this then we will focus on winning the title.
"The results of our youth teams in previous tournaments give us a big challenge and we hope that we will get the support of the fans for our forthcoming matches."
The UAE won the 2008 AFC U-19 Championship in Saudi Arabia and have reached the semi-finals on five occasions, twice (in 1985 and 1992) when the tournament was hosted in the Emirates.
The UAE's 2012 AFC U-19 Championship campaign opens on November 3 when they host Kuwait at the Emirates Stadium in Ras Al Khaimah.