Reigning champions Bahrain will kick off their title defence with their first game of the eight-nation 25th Arabian Gulf Cup today against two-time champions the UAE at the 30,000-seat Al Minaa Olympic Stadium in the Iraqi city of Basra.
The tournament started yesterday with the hosts and Oman playing out a goalless draw in an afternoon Group A game followed by Saudi Arabia beating Yemen 2-0 in the second Group A encounter under lights.
Bahrain and the UAE are in Group B along with three-time champions Qatar and Kuwait, who have won the championship a record 10 times.
The Bahraini team, which arrived in Basra last Tuesday, took part in a 45-minute training session supervised by head coach Helio Sousa yesterday afternoon.
Sousa, who played for his native Portugal in the 1990s and has coached Bahrain for the past four years, was in charge when Bahrain won the tournament for the very first time in December 2019, by defeating three-time champions Saudi Arabia 1-0 in a gripping final.
He referenced the historic triumph in a Press conference after the training session, repeating what he had told the GDN a day before the team’s departure.
“Winning the cup in 2019 was a fantastic moment for us,” Sousa said, with Bahrain captain Sayed Mohamed Jaffar sitting next to him. “It was an unforgettable experience and, of course, it means a lot to start this tournament as defending champions.
“But we must build on that and be stronger and play even better than we did, then. Our preparation for the championship has been good and we must be prepared to fight hard. We will aim to win every match, starting with this one against the UAE who, I know, are a very good, strong team.”
Sousa added that his time with the Bahrain team had allowed him to observe the other seven teams closely and his side would be facing tough opponents.
“But we are prepared for them,” he stressed. “We have some extremely good players and we will rely on our own style of play. We will look to be positive and are aiming to win the tournament again.
“We have a very good group and I am proud of them, proud to be able to work with them. I am also grateful to the people of Bahrain who support their team passionately.”
Jaffar added that his side would not take any of their opponents lightly.
“Every team is here to win,” he explained. “All the teams have one goal: to win the cup! We can’t say that one team is stronger than the other – all have equal chances.
“That is why competition is going to be fierce. But we are committed and determined to do well and will go all out in our attempt to retain the title.”
UAE head coach, Argentine Rodolfo Arruabarrena, who played for his country from 1995 to 2006, told reporters at the press conference that his team would play strongly and strive to impose their own style of play in today’s match.
“We know that Bahrain are the current title holders but we will ensure that we play in a way that distinguishes us as the UAE national team,” he said. “We are well-prepared and tried to make sure that we arrived here in Basra well in advance of the tournament so that our players would have sufficient time to acclimatise to the local conditions.”
The match will kick off at 4.15pm, Bahrain time.
Meanwhile, a Kuwaiti delegation was forced to leave the Basra International Stadium while the tournament’s elaborate opening ceremony was taking place yesterday after unruly fans barged into the VIP section with viral video footage showing a fist-fight also taking place.
The delegation was later filmed leaving the stadium after the incident with Kuwaiti media reports suggesting that it was heading to the airport to return home.
However, an official statement issued afterwards by the Kuwait Football Association said that the Kuwait team would not withdraw from the tournament despite what it called ‘disorganisation’ which prevented the country’s official delegation from attending the opening ceremony.
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