New Delhi, INDIA – Maldives national team coach Istavan Urbanyi feel that every match in the tournament would be as a final for Maldives in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship to kick start tomorrow at 1430hrs Maldivian Time. Speaking at a pre-match press briefing Urbanyi highlighted that except Bhutan there are no weaker teams in the tournament.
“When I said that the first match against Nepal is a final, I also believe the other matches are the same. Every match for the Maldives would be a final. We need to give our best and we need to win those games for us to go to the finals”
“Except Bhutan I feel all the teams have an equal chance of getting into the final and win it. Bhutan ha also just said that they would give their best. So it would be a very tough tournament for everyone”
Urbanyi also highlighted that the age of his boys is not important, but what matters is the performance on the pitch.
“There are experienced players of age around 30 and players under 20. So it’s a mixture of young and experienced players.
I don’t care about the age of the players. For me the most important thing is the performance of the players”
He also reiterated that the weather in New Delhi would not be a problem for his boys and added that it was the best condition to play football.
Coach Urbanyi also noted that the expectation of the supporters back home and in India is really high and that there is a huge pressure on the team.
“Everyone in Maldives loves football. The expectation of the supporters back home and in India is really high and that adds a huge pressure on the team. It’s good”