Ivankovic calls for 'talent camp' to galvanise new faces

Muscat: Oman national football team head coach Branko Ivankovic said that the short camp which will begin on Sunday will be a camp to identify and recognize the talent and is a gathering to know the new faces closer. Speaking at a press conference in Seeb Stadium, the Croatian coach said he gathered a fair amount of information on Oman’s football despite the short time he spent in the Sultanate since he took over the position. Brankovic announced the probables for the short camp which will last for three days starting next Sunday. As many as 26 players were chosen including many new faces who are attending the national team for the first time. Six players from Seeb club were selected for the camp. The probables include Ahmed Faraj, Basil al Rawahi, Mohammed al Amri, Abdulaziz al Ghilani, Amjad al Harthi Hatim al Roushdi, Ibrahim al Mukhaini, Ghanim al Hubaishi, Omar Adil, Mohammed al Busaidi, Arshad al Alawi, Abdullah al Mashakhi, Husni al Hinai, Younis Adham, Khalid al Hajri, Saud al Habsi, Abbas al Hasahmi, Qajdi al Lamki, Khalifa al Jahwari, Abdulmajeed Shammas, Omran al Hedi, Hassan al Ajmi, Ammar al Rushaidi, Ayman al Buraiki, Moahmmed al Ghafri and Ahmed al Siyabi. The 65-year-old mentioned another short domestic camp will be followed by the existing national team players in a week after. “ From this both internal camps, we can finalize the official list for the national team ahead of the Afghanistan match in the joint qualification for World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Championships,” he added. Replying to Oman Daily Observer inquiry on his initial feedback after attending Omantel League games, the experienced coach said: ”I watched many games in Omantel League accompanied with the technical staff. Also, I had many visits to different clubs during the last period. I met the technical staff, players and some board members. These meetings were very crucial to have a better idea on the current situation for the players, clubs and league performance. Seeb and Dhofar teams were the top teams in terms of professional players. In addition to that, many top players were available at other clubs who require a lot of space for improvement and hard work to grow,” the Croatian coach said. The former coach of Iran said that he did not select any players form Dhofar, Al Oruba and Al Nahdha as these teams are gearing up for the semifinal round of the HM Cup. “We have many top players who are tight up with their abroad. We will call them during the Fifa days but the main load will be under the players from the local clubs.” Coach Branko Ivankovic concluded by saying that a very close follow-up will take place between the national team technical staff and the head coaches of each club to monitor the progress of the players. Pictures were taken during the press conference at Al Seeb Staduim by Khalfan al Tobi [gallery ids='603151,603152,603153,603154,603155,603156']