Oman, who will face the national football team in China's Round of 12, had planned to play a preparatory match against Syria before the encounter, which was scheduled to take place in Muscat. However, earlier this week Syria's head coach Mahrous made it clear that they would not be able to play this warm-up match against Oman. Now, the Oman Football Association is urgently looking for a new opponent.
After defeating Vietnam 3-1 at home on October 12 to secure their second win of the 12-team tournament, the Omani national team was disbanded and the players returned to their respective clubs to prepare for the new domestic league season, which kicked off in full force on October 16 with 14 top clubs battling it out. As of yesterday (26th), seven matches were played in the third round of the Omani domestic league, with Nasr, who have two international players, topping the table with three wins; Sibu, who have the second largest number of international players (eight), topping the table with seven points from two wins and one draw; and Dhofar, who have the largest number of international players (nine), topping the table with seven points from two wins and one draw but ranking third due to poor goal difference.
According to the Oman Football Association (OFA) and the result of negotiations with the Omani national team, the Omani domestic league will play its fourth round of seven matches on October 30 and 31 before going into a break until November 24, when it will open its fifth round of matches. The Omani national team, meanwhile, will regroup on Nov. 1 to begin preparations for the two Round of 12 matches in November.
Oman national team head coach Ivankovic plans to have a short training session in the country after the assembly before organizing a world-class warm-up match on November 5th. After the match, the team would travel to China to prepare for the Nov. 11 away match against the national football team. However, the Oman Football Association and the national team have received good news that the Chinese team may not be able to play their home fixtures in their home country and the probability is that they will opt for West Asia for their home fixtures. This is certainly a relief for the Omani team from the fatigue of the long journey and the pain of jet lag. Whether it is traveling to Doha or the UAE, it will be advantageous for the Omani team. In addition, it is even possible to drive directly from Oman to the UAE and back without the need to take another flight. During the epidemic, the only flights from Muscat to Dubai or Sharjah were night flights, which was not conducive for the players to recuperate. Moreover, the weather conditions in Oman and the UAE are basically the same and the players are more acclimatized. Therefore, the Oman Football Association and the national team are very happy with the news.
Not only that, but since the Omani team is returning home to host Japan immediately after the away match against China. Therefore, it would also be beneficial for the Omani team to return to Muscat from the UAE to prepare for the match against Japan. So, the Omani side was very satisfied to learn that the Chinese team might not be able to play their home fixtures in their hometown.
However, the unfavorable news for the team is that the Syrian side canceled the program that originally promised a warm-up match with the Omani national team. Originally, Syria's head coach Mahrous had expected to organize a warm-up match with China in November, just as he had organized a warm-up match with China in October, before they left for the Top 12 tournament. The Omani side, in turn, also expected to organize a warm-up match, so both sides confirmed early on a warm-up match, scheduled for November 5, at the venue chosen in Muscat, Oman. As the Syrian team will then travel to Doha to face Iraq on November 11, it is relatively convenient to set up a training camp in Oman and then travel from Oman to Doha.
However, due to the recent changes in the Syrian soccer world, the entire management of the Syrian Football Federation has resigned, and the head coach, Mr. Mahrous, has almost "stepped down". The newly established "Football Association Transition Committee" decided to continue to support Mahrous after two talks with him, and Mahrous also adjusted the Syrian team's preparation program accordingly, and therefore decided to cancel the warm-up match with Oman. The reason given by Mahrous himself is: as many overseas players can only arrive at the team on November 7 at the earliest, they simply can't catch up with the warm-up match on November 5, so there is not much practical significance in organizing this warm-up match again. It is reported that the Syrian team has changed the original plan to go to Oman for overseas training to training in Damascus, and then directly from Damascus to Doha to prepare for the match with Iraq.
The Oman Football Association (OFA), after receiving the news that the Syrian Football Association (SFA) had canceled the warm-up match of the original plan, is reported to have urgently activated the plan and is now actively contacting new opponents for the warm-up match, hoping that it will be possible for the Omani national team to play a warm-up match on November 5 as originally planned, and for the players to keep their form in the domestic league until the away match against the Chinese team. There is no further news yet.
