U-23 national football team has challenging agenda

AMMAN — The U-23 national football team has a challenging battle in its agenda as it prepares for the West Asian Championship which kicks off on September 29.

The line-up’s agenda had been hampered with no training camps or serious friendlies and now another setback has seriously affected preparations for its participation in the four-nation friendly in Slovakia now cancelled after clubs did not release U-23 players to join training citing the local agenda. 

With a vital Asian and Olympic agenda ahead, coach Jamal Abu Abed was hopeful the tourney would have provided much needed competitive experience, underlining that the U-23 team squad did not have enough competitive level friendlies, while other squads in the region train all year long and are the main support for national teams. 

With the national team and clubs agendas making it difficult to release players as the local agenda starts in two weeks, Wihdat have now agreed to release the players after the August 21 Super Cup.

Incoming coach Imad Khankan said the Asian Football Association (AFC) Cup is Wihdat’s key aim this season in addition to retaining the local titles. The same sentiments were echoed by Ahli and Jazira officials, all gearing up for the local season.

U-23 coach Abu Abed said: “The team needs to be supported so that a full line-up of recalled players attends practice when regrouped, noting the importance of the AFC U-23 Championship which will be held in Qatar in January 12-30, 2016 as the 16-team competition also serves as Asia’s qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The AFC announced the qualifiers to the championship which include Group B champs Jordan in addition to winners of Groups A, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and J (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Syria, Australia, North Korea, South Korea, Japan and China) as well five best second-placed teams from all groups — Thailand, Iran, Vietnam, Yemen, Uzbekistan — who will join the host at the AFC U-23 Championship.

Jordan topped Group B qualifiers in Amman as the team overcame adversity and the change of schedule three times which observers feared would undermine preparedness and competitive advantage. Jordan held Kuwait 3-3, beat Kyrgyzstan 4-0 and Pakistan 5-0 to advance. 

Over the past year, the U-23 team has impressed observers when it beat South Korea to take bronze at the inaugural AFC U-22 Championship (now renamed the AFC U-23 Championship) as Iraq beat Saudi Arabia to take the title. The same squad also represented Jordan at the Asian Games where it made it to the quarter-finals despite a bumpy preparation period amid the busy agenda of the national team and local clubs. Jordan beat the UAE 1-0, India 2-0 and Kyrgyzstan 2-0 in extra time before losing 2-0 to Thailand in the quarters.