Confident Lankans take on Afghans today

7th SAFF Championship 2008:

Bernard PERERA

The SAFF soccer championship Group ‘B’ matches hosted by Sri Lanka get underway at the Sugathadasa stadium today. All three teams Afghanistan, Bhutan and Bangladesh have arrived in time for the games said Rukmal Perera addressing a Media briefing held at the Football House yesterday.

The coaches, Managers and other officials all participating teams attended the press briefing to address the media about their plans for the championship.

Sri Lankan’s Korean Coach Jang Jung speaking said that he is confident of winning the Cup. He further added that the Lankan team is brimming with confidence. They are in peak form at the moment.

In the recent pat they had few practice matches in Thailand before their participation at the AFC President’s Cup in Taiwan. They showed a great improvement and also made their way to the final round. They also toured Korea for a training programme.

Sri Lanka will take on Afghanistan today under lights at Sugathadasa stadium. The team led by Chathura Maduranga too is confident of winning the cup. They are packed with too leading strikers.

Kasum Jayasuriya and E.B. Channa. Two of them have excelled in the domestic scene as well as the international level.

Two of them are hopeful of bringing honour to their country, with the mid fielders headed by skipper Chathura feeding them well.

S.D. Tillekeratne is a tower of strength between the posts. He has lot of experience behind him and served the team with great success for nearly a decade. He is a man to watch during this championship. He had the support from the defence line which looks very strong at the moment. When considering these factors the host team will have advantage over their rivals today.

Sri Lanka has won the championship in the year 1995 beating the giants of the South Asian countries India in Colombo. Since then India has dominated the tourney winning four times.

Bangladesh is the other country to win 2003 championship, which was played in Dhaka in a penalty shoot out. Though Bangladesh touched the cup once in the past, their manager Mahamed Abu Yusuf said this year they are looking forward to reaching the semis. Our team is not as strong at the local team, but we hope to do our best possible to be there.

Klaus Staer the German coach for the Afghanistan side was of the view that his team enters the fray as underdogs.

Though we consider as underdogs we have come here to play football. This is a game that has to be played according to the situation. We will try to adopt ourselves to conditions and hope to give a good fight, to our opponents.

Bhutanese coach Koji Gyotoku too was of the same opinion as Klaus saying they are a weak side in this group. But football is such that whatever the conditions the game has to be played. No one can control the weather conditions, we have to play whether it is rain or not. The players have to get accustomed to the conditions that prevail at the time of the game.

My team will come out with the best according to their capabilities. We will try to pose a good fight.

In the first game Bangladesh is favoured on their form. But Bhutanese who have played in Sri Lanka few weeks ago are a little bit used to the conditions that prevail at present. On their last tour here the same conditions prevailed. Bangladesh on the other side will go flat out to overcome Bhutan in this curtain raiser.

Football Federation of Sri Lanka which organises the Group ‘B’ have kept three grounds available for matches if the ground conditions at Sugathadasa stadium fail to hold the scheduled matches.

The venues kept as reserve ground are Police Park, Bambalapitiya CR & FC ground, Longden Place and St. Benedict’s College ground, Kotahena. These grounds will be made used if the match commissioners decide not to play at the stadium, said Rukmal Perera the Media Director FFSL.

The final selection of the Sri Lankan team will be made prior to the commencement of the game.

The Lankan team will be selected from the following: Chathura Maduranga, Madushka Peiris, Cisteen Fernando, Nirantha Perera, C.L. Samarasekera, Kasun Jayasuriya, E.B. Channa, Issadeen Mohamed, S. D. Tillekeratne, Fazlur Rahman, Chathura Guneratne, Asanga Viraj, Sanjeeva Pradeep Kumara, Nadeeka Pushpakumara, Nimal Fernando, Suranga Bandara, Ayesh Prasad, M.H.M. Rawmy, Asmeer Ali, Tharusha Rangana, J.D. Ratnayake, R.D. Ruwantilleke, T.G. Raheem.

Afghanistan team from, Amiri Shamsudin, Grewal Emal, Hussaini Gudralullah, Basheer Ahamed Sadaah, Jotistani Israfeed, Jebban Reza, Qadami Hafizullah, Azimi Sayed Bashir, Islam Zohit, Yarzada Ali Ahamed, Barekzai Hashmathullah, Hashemi Masood, Nahemi Mahammed Salem, Barak Yusuf, Yamrali Atam, Habif Harz Arian, Karimi Obidullah, Shrityar Djelahiddin, Faqiryar Mansur, Sharityur Mohammed, Safir Nazir, Duftari Said.