Jordan plays Palestine in Asian Cup

AMMAN — The national team plays Palestine on Friday in its second Group D match at the 16th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup currently under way in Australia.

The teams will play in Melbourne at 9am Amman local time after both sides lost their opening matches. Jordan lost 1-0 to Iraq while Palestine, playing their first Asian Cup, went down 4-0 to titleholders Japan.

According to Jordan coach Ray Wilkins, the match against Challenge Cup champs Palestine will witness changes in the line-up. 

“We have good strikers who have to make use of each opportunity in such high level matches. Otherwise your opponents will score. This is what we need to address,” Wilkins said.

Jordan will miss the efforts of Anas Bani Yasin, who was booked last match, and Ahmad Hayel, who has been unwell after a random test for performance enhancing drugs which followed the last match. 

Wilkins said Hayel was  also doubtful for the third and final clash against Japan.

“I think the important thing, you must always put football in perspective,” former England international Wilkins told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday.

“But people are more important. He lost so much fluid the other night when he played and we were very, very concerned as to his well-being. He is now okay,” he told Reuters.

While the Jordan Football Association filed a complaint with the AFC on procedures which led to the players’ “general weakness, and hypothermia”, during the four-hour procedure, the AFC defended the anti-doping procedure and said the player should not have consumed so much water.

Wilkins said he had not received any response to the team’s complaint from the AFC. The governing body declined comment on the matter when contacted by Reuters.

“I’ve not spoken to anybody, which I expect,” the 58-year-old said. “It’s a big competition, they’ve got lots of things to consider but the most important thing in their consideration must be the person and not what’s going on here.”

Four-time winner Japan is the clear contender to take the group’s top qualifying spot and possibly win the Cup, while Jordan’s hopes on taking the second qualifying spot from the group now rests upon winning the upcoming match and hoping 2011 champs Iraq loses its match.