Coaches root for competitive football in SAFF Women's Championship 2022
Sep 05, 2022
New Delhi [India], September 5 : The SAFF Women's Championship is all set to kick off in Nepal on Tuesday at the Dashrath Stadium in Kathmandu and the coaches have expressed optimism about the prospects of their teams.
They felt that the tournament will witness competitive football. India are placed in Group A along with Pakistan, Maldives and Bangladesh.
Speaking to the media ahead of the start of the tournament, India head coach Suren Chettri said they were prepared for the matches.
"We are prepared for the Championship and the girls are really motivated to start the matches. They are working hard for another title to defend," Suren said.
"It is always easy to win a championship but to maintain the winning streak, is another challenge we need to overcome," he added.
Bangladesh head coach Golam Rabbani Choton, said, "Our girls are ready to take each match at a time and it is going to be a healthy competition."
Maldives head coach Ahmed Dunga Shareef feels that they are placed in a tough group but are ready for the challenges.
"We are in a group of death but we hope to give our best. We want to give fight to every team as we know it is going to be a competitive tournament," said Shareef.
The Senior Women's National team of Pakistan is back on the international stage after eight years and seemed confident ahead of the tournament.
"Playing after such a long time is exciting but at the same time is a bit challenging. We have tried to put together our team, and have got good players. Pakistan is a very competitive team and will fight till the end and play good football," stated head coach Adeel Rizki.
The SAFF Women's Championship will kick off at 5.15 pm on September 6. Bhutan will take on hosts Nepal in the first match.
India will begin their campaign on September 7 with a match against Pakistan. The matches will be streamed Live on the Eleven Sports platform.
