The Daily News came with heavy news: the Chinese Football Association officially announced that the Tianjin Olympic Sports Center Stadium will be the second home of the national football team for the World Qualifying Tournament. Tianjin is doing its best to step up the preparations for the tournament organization and reception.
It is rare for a northern city to host a national soccer tournament, mainly because of the climate and turf conditions. In order to accelerate the growth of the lawn, the underground heating system has been activated a few days ago. Over the next month, a team of professionals will take care of the lawn.
Not only do the venues need to meet international standards, but the hospitality is also crucial. The Tianjin Football Association has begun preparations for the accommodation of the home team, the visiting team, tournament officials, media and fans. According to the usual practice, the home team and the visiting team and officials should stay in five-star hotels, and the home team and the visiting team should try to avoid the same accommodation. Accommodation for the visiting team will be provided by the organizer in a choice of hotels that meet the regulations. Officials from FIFA, AFC and CFA, including referees, will not be accommodated with any team.
The Chinese head coach has yet to be selected, and there is no definite news on the time and place of preparation for the tournament.The third round of the 36-team tournament against Singapore will be played on March 21st, while the fourth round is scheduled for March 26th. The Chinese team will return after the away tournament to prepare for the second round. According to the time projection, the team will have a four-day training session at the Water Drop Outfield between the 22nd and 25th. It is worth mentioning that the Waterdrop Outfield is also the training base for the Jinmen Tigers, and the relevant coordination work is in full swing.
