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Sri Lanka gears up for SAFF Championship in Dhaka

Sri Lanka will launch their preparations for the coveted South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship with a series of away FIFA International friendly matches, commencing today.

Sri Lanka will face Seychelles in the opening match today with the second game on September 30 at the Stade Linitein in Victoria which will be followed by another two-match FIFA International friendly series against Mauritius on October 2 and October 5 in Port Louis.

President, Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) Jaswar Umar said that Sri Lanka’s main goal in competing in these FIFA Friendly matches will be to get some valuable international match-exposure ahead of the more important SAFF Football Championship, which begins on November 8 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Seychelles are ranked 204th in the FIFA Men’s Team Rankings but Sri Lanka, who are currently ranked 187th have struggled to beat the Pirates in the recent past.

The two teams last met in 2021 and on that occasion Seychelles emerged victorious 3-1 on penalties after the match had ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw.

In the same year, Sri Lanka went down fighting 0-1 and their only win against Seychelles was recorded in 2014 when they notched up a memorable 2-1 victory at the Stade Linitein with Zarwan and Nippu netting a goal each.

Mixed fortunes

Seychelles have experienced mixed fortunes this year where they drew 0-0 against Lesotho in Bloemfontein and lost to the same opponents 1-2 at the same venue in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Qualification Tournament.

Sri Lanka will move to Mauritius for their second-leg of the FIFA International friendly series with back-to-back games at the Côte d’Or National Sports Complex in St. Pierre.

These two games will be a tough challenge for the Sri Lankan outfit as Mauritius are currently placed 178th in the FIFA Men’s Team Rankings and have performed quite well this year.

They drew 0-0 against Somalia and lost 2-4 on penalties against the same opponents after their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Qualification match ended in a 0-0 draw at the Côte d’Or National Sports Complex in St. Pierre.

Historic first

Mauritius also had the honour of defeating Sicily 2-1 in Terrasini, Italy in June this year in their historic first football match played on European soil.

“Our preparations for the SAFF Championship have been pretty solid.

“We arranged these four FIFA Friendly matches for the national team to give them the maximum exposure ahead of the SAAF Championship in Bangladesh,” FFSL President Jaswar Umar said.

“I am optimistic that Sri Lanka will make their presence felt at this regional tournament. There will be a lot of motivation for the team to play well and come out on top as the match outcomes will be counted for FIFA Men’s Team Rankings.”

Sri Lanka has been drawn in Group ‘A’ alongside Bangladesh and Bhutan for the 15th SAFF Championship while arch-rivals India and Pakistan are included in Group ‘B’ together with the Maldives.

Sri Lanka’s only success in the history of the SAFF Championship came in 1995 when the side led by Sampath Perera edged out India 1-0 in the final played at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo