Bahrain get boost from ‘pros’

BAHRAIN’S football professionals returned to the Kingdom from Doha on Saturday night ahead of their 2006 World Cup final play-off against Trinidad and Tobago scheduled for Saturday and on November 16. The eight professionals came back after playing their matches with the Qatari clubs in the Premier Division League. Al Gharrafa’s strikers Hussain Ali, Ala’a Hubail and Al Silia midfielder Mahmood Jalal returned last night while defenders Mohamemd Juma’a, Sayed Mohammed Adnan (Al Khor) and midfielders Mohammed Salmeen, Salman Isa (Al Arabi), Mohammed Hubail (Qatar Club) arrived earlier on Friday. However, the players did not practise with the team on Saturday night as they were rested by coach Luka Peruzovic of Belgium.

Team manager Abdulrazzaq Mohammed said the professionals would practise yesterday while the team is set to depart today at 2 am and will reach Trinidad and Tobago via London after a 16-hour journey. Mohammed said the team will fly by Gulf Air to London and from there they will take a BWIA plane which will also be bringing several United kingdom-based Trinidad and Tobago players. According to Mohammed, the team will return home in a private jet soon after the first-leg match at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port-of-Spain while the second-leg match is scheduled four days later at the National Stadium in Riffa. The delegation will be headed by Bahrain Football Association vice-president Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa and includes  association member Yousef Hassan and 25 players.

Both Bahrain and Trinidad and Tobago are battling for their first-ever ticket to the World Cup finals next year in Germany. Bahrain claimed third place in the previous qualifying round Group “B” on four points from an away win over bottom side North Korea and a goalless draw with Iran who qualified for Germany along with Japan who finished top. That gave the Kingdom another chance of getting a berth in the World Cup as they beat Uzbekistan—  the third placed team in Group “A” on the away goal rule after they drew 1-1 in the first-leg match in Tashkent before following with a goalless draw in the second-leg home match. Trinidad and Tobago reached this stage after finishing fourth in their six-team qualifier on 13 points, three points behind third placed Costa Rica who booked a berth along with the US and Mexico who came first and second respectively on 22 points each. The Warriors played 10 matches and won four, drew one and lost five. Their top scorer is striker John Stern who scored 12 goals for the team and is the second top scorer in the qualifiers after Mexico’s 14-goal scorer Jared Borgetti.

Delegation:
Head: Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. Member: Yousef Hassan. Manager: Abdulrazzaq Mohammed. Administrators: Fahad Jalal, Mohammed Al Sa’adon. Coach: Luka Peruzovic. Assistant coaches: Mijac Zelko, Riyadh Al Thawadi. Fitness coach: Marin Fradelic. Goalkeeping coach: Rafael Silvador. Physiotherapist: Khalil Rabea. Masseur: Wilson D’souza. Psychologist: Nabeel Taha. Nutrition official: Khalil Al Dossary. Accountant: Abbas Marzooq.

Squad:
Goalkeepers: Ali Hassan, Sayed Mohammed Jaffer, Abdulrahman Abdulkarim.
Defenders: Abdulla Al Marzooqi, Ebrahim Al Mishkhas, Ahmed Al Hujairi, Ghazi Al Kuwari, Mohammed Juma’a, Sayed Mohammed Adnan.
Midfielders: Hamad Rakea, Hussain Salman, Saleh Farhan, Hussain Baba, Rashid Al Dossary, Fawzi Ayesh, Talal Yousef, Mohammed Salmeen, Salman Isa, Mohammed Hubail, Mahmood Jalal.
Strikers: Ahmed Hassan, Abdulla Al Dikheel, Ismail Abdullatif, Ala’a Hubail, Hussain Ali.