Clubs prepare for resumption of local, regional agendas

AMMAN  — All clubs are in high gear as they prepare for the resumption of the local agendas and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) competitions.

With players on national team duty away last week, this will be the final week for all clubs to train with all players available, including newly signed pros with many clubs.

The country’s leading players are back with their clubs after Jordan beat Egypt 1-0 in a friendly in preparation for qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup doubling as part of the qualification for 2019 Asian Cup resuming March 24. Jordan’s U-23 national squad was also on duty in Qatar where it was ousted from the AFC U-23 Championship quarter-finals.

Back home, coaches have been trying to keep line-ups ready as clubs signed new players with the Jordan Professional League’s Leg 2 kicking off on February 4 preceded by the Jordan Cup semis.

In the past two weeks, Wihdat lost to Hussein Irbid 2-1 and held Ahli 0-0 as the team signed two pros from Brazil. The reigning league champs were inconsistent in Leg 1 of the competition and were also eliminated from the Jordan Cup. As they start the countdown to the 2016 AFC Asian Champions League (ACL), Wihdat’s coaches are hopeful ahead of their February 9 preliminary round match against Saudi Arabia’s Ittihad Jeddah.

“We have spared no effort to put the team back on track. We aim to compete for advanced position in the local and Asian competitions,” coach Hisham Abdul Mun’em told the press after practice.

As league champs for the past two consecutive years, Wihdat were Jordan’s representative in the premier Asian competition in 2015 as well, and were knocked out in the preliminary round by former titleholders Kuwait’s Qadissieh. 

Faisali, who lead the league standings after finishing 7th last year, are in high spirits and are striving to restart matches with a strong line-up. While they missed players on national duty, Faisali also played local friendlies and lost 1-0 to Shabab Urdun.

In addition to their battle for the league title, Faisali and Wihdat will represent the Kingdom in the AFC Cup this season. Matches are scheduled to kick off on February 23. If Wihdat advance past the ACL preliminary round, Jazira will replace them in the AFC Cup.

Faisali signed Khalil Bani Atiya and Moayyad Abu Kishk and lost their Senegalese top scorer who moved to the UAE. Ahli signed former Ramtha star and top scorer Rakan Khalidi, while Baqa’a who were a team in the upper half of the standings contracted Iraqi coach Tha’er Jassam hoping to change their fortunes in Leg 1. 

So far this season, Jordan Cup holders Faisali beat league titleholders Wihdat 1-0 to win the 33rd Super Cup. Wihdat only have the league title in contention after conceding the Super Cup, and elimination from the Jordan Cup as well where Cup titleholders Faisali, Ahli, Jazira and Shabab Urdun will vie for the title.