Bhutan ready for tough China test
Print Edition
THE remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan was gearing up yesterday for its underdog team’s mammoth battle against China as it looks to extend its World Cup fairytale.
Bhutan, rock-bottom in the world rankings at the start of the World Cup campaign, has defied the odds to reach Asia’s second qualifying round.
But the team, whose amateur players include teachers and students while its captain is an airline pilot, faces an uphill battle to defeat China today in the sleepy capital Thimphu.
Some 8,000 tickets have been sold for the match at the national 10,000-capacity Changlimithang stadium, with locals hoping of pulling off a shock win. Vendors were doing a brisk trade in orange “Land of the Thunder Dragon” football shirts, according to the Bhutan team fan club’s Facebook page.
“The chances of winning are very, very slim but we are still hoping,” said Bhutan Football Federation general secretary Ugyen Wangchuck.
“The whole country is behind the team from the prime minister down. There is hard core support for our boys. And even if they don’t win, their success so far has already done so much to boost football here, with so many more youngsters now interested in the sport.”
Bhutan, with a population of just 750,000 and known for its Gross National Happiness Index and archery, started its campaign ranked 209 in the world.
But it has since climbed to 159 after defeating Sri Lanka to advance to Group D.
Elsewhere, Asia’s other heavy hitters also enter the fray today looking to make a quick start on the road to Russia 2018.
After sitting out last Thursday’s opening group fixtures, Asian champion Australia and fellow World Cup 2014 teams Japan, South Korea and Iran enter the fray alongside China, Uzbekistan and the UAE.
Australia’s first competitive match since it lifted the Asian Cup in January is in remote Bishkek for a Group B clash against Kyrgyzstan.
South Korea will begin its bid to qualify for a ninth consecutive World Cup with a visit to Myanmar in Group G without forward Kang Soo-il, who failed a doping test.
The 27-year-old made a public apology after he tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid, a result he blamed on a mustache-growing cream.
Japan will kick off its campaign by hosting Singapore at Saitama in Group E, while Iran will begin in Group D with a visit to Turkmenistan. The Central Asian side will be smarting after its stunning 0-1 loss in Guam made it the first team ever to lose a World Cup qualifier to the tiny Pacific side.
Guam will host India in its second game knowing that a draw would send it to the top of Group D before the next round of fixtures in September.
However, Asian Cup semifinalist Iraq will sit out this round of games after its intended opponent Indonesia was suspended by FIFA over political interference.
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