In a message on July 16, the Omani national team, faced with the status of fifth-ranking opponents in the same group as our national football team in the 12-team tournament, after in-depth communication with the Omani Football Association, decided to implement a "long-term training" strategy in order to enhance the overall competitiveness of the team. According to the established plan, the team will be assembled on the 24th of this month, until the fourth round of the 12-team tournament with Vietnam on October 12 after the disbandment of the players will return to their respective clubs, to join the league.
Due to the impact of the epidemic, soccer activities in Oman have been suspended since April 1 this year, with the cancellation of leagues at all levels and club teams even withdrawing from the AFC Cup. The question of when the Omani professional league will be restarted was not answered until July 14 when the Oman Football Association (OFA) held a press conference at the Sibu Stadium. At the conference, Oman Football Association Secretary General Fahd Al Raihi delivered a keynote speech and Oman team leader Makboul Baroush was also present.
Raisi began by expressing his gratitude to Oman's Crown Prince and Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, Teyazan bin Hasham Al Said, for his continuous support to the Omani team. It was reported that Crown Prince Said has launched a series of support measures to help the Omani team achieve good results in the Top 12 tournament. Raihi emphasized that the preparation of the Omani team will be the focus of attention in the football world in the coming period.
Raihi also revealed that the Oman Football Association (OFA) has confirmed that the home venue for the Round of 12 will be the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex Stadium in Muscat. The stadium served as the venue for the Chinese men's soccer team against Oman in the Asian Zone 10 qualifier for the 2001 World Cup in Korea and Japan, which China won 2-0.
Raihi further described Oman's preparations for the Top 12 tournament. He said that the team returned home in mid-June after completing the Top 40 tournament in Doha and the Arab Cup play-offs, with members dispersed on vacation. Branko Ivanovic, whose coaching team is currently on vacation in Croatia, has submitted a detailed preparation plan to the Oman Football Association.
The plan shows that the team will regroup on the 24th of this month and the first phase of training will last until September 2 after the first round away match against Japan. After assembling in Muscat, the team will fly to Serbia the next day for a four-week training program. Ivanovic will implement the team's training arrangements in Serbia during his vacation. The training will end on August 22, during which the team will play four warm-up matches against local clubs.
The team is scheduled to fly to Japan from Serbia on August 23 to prepare for their away match against Japan in the first round of the Top 12 tournament. It is reported that the Japanese Football Association (JFA) will choose a place in Tokyo and Osaka as the home ground for Japan's Top 12 matches. After arriving in Japan, the team will use 12 days to adapt to the local climate and playing conditions.
After the encounter with Japan, the team will quickly return to Muscat to prepare for the second round match against Saudi Arabia at home on September 7th. This training session will also prepare the team for the October 7 match away to Australia. During this period, the team will schedule one or two international warm-up matches. Immediately after the away match against Australia, the team will return to Oman to prepare for the home match against Vietnam on October 12th. After the match, the team will be disbanded and the players return to their clubs.
According to the plan, the Omani team will participate in the fifth and sixth rounds of the 12-team tournament in November before traveling to Qatar for the Arab Cup in December. The team will also take part in the 25th Gulf Cup in Iraq from the end of December this year to the beginning of January next year. After the two tournaments, the team will gather at the end of January to early February next year and participate in the seventh and eighth rounds of the 12-team tournament. This shows that the Omani team has adopted a resolute strategy of long-term training in preparation for the Top 12 tournament.
