India Eyes SAFF Futsal Glory, Opens Campaign Against Bangladesh

"Our main objective is to be competitive in every match, show clear progress in our playing style, and establish India as a strong emerging team in South Asian futsal," India head coach Reza Kordi said at the pre-tournament press conference, according to AIFF.

Reza Kordi took charge of the team in the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Qualifiers in September last year. He hails from Iran. The head coach also highlighted the work put in behind the scenes, thanking the organisers and detailing India's build-up.

"First of all, I would like to appreciate SAFF and the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) on being wonderful hosts. As far as our team is concerned, we started our preparations around a month ago in Bengaluru. We came here a week before our first match and played two friendly games. I think tactically, physically and mentality our players are ready for the competition," he said.

After Bangladesh, India will go against Nepal (January 18), Maldives (January 20), Bhutan (January 22), Sri Lanka (January 24) and Pakistan (January 26), all played at Nonthaburi Stadium in Thailand. The table toppers at the end of all seven rounds of matches will be crowned the first-ever SAFF men's futsal champions.

In September, the Futsal Tigers created history by bagging their first international victory (3-0 vs Mongolia). With that boost in confidence, Kordi also stressed on the visible evolution of the group. Eight players from the Asian Cup qualifiers have been selected for the SAFF championship as well (Aleef Rahman Mollah, Ozen Silva, Lalsangkima, Anmol Adhikari, K Roluahpuia, Nikhil Mali, Seaon D'souza and Jonathan Lalrawngbawla).

"If I want to compare with the Asian Cup qualifiers, the team is more organised tactically and better physically prepared too. The players now have a better understanding of the demands of futsal right now," he said.

"Our biggest strength is the collective mentality. The players work hard for each other and are fully committed to representing the country," he added.

India captain Nikhil Mali echoed his coach's optimism, pointing to the value of recent international experience.

"Firstly, I would like to thank SAFF and Thailand for organising this historic tournament. Our team, after the Asian qualifiers, has gained a lot of experience and we had a great camp back home in India under our respected coach. So our main focus would be to execute our learnings in the tournament. Everyone looks quite confident going into the tournament," he said.

The 29-year-old also had a clear message for supporters back home as India prepare to take the court in Thailand.

"I would like to tell our fans that we promise to play with all our heart, pride and will give our all on the court. I'm sure they'll be supporting us back home, and we will put in a good performance for them," he added.

- ANI