Football: Indian Women's team to play in Turkish Cup

The Indian Senior Women’s Team will be embarking on an exposure tour to Turkey where they will be playing in the Turkish Women’s Cup from February 27, 2019 onwards. India have been clubbed with Romania, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in Group A, while France (B), Jordan, Northern Ireland, and hosts Turkey make up Group B. Every team will play each other in the group once with the group-toppers making it to the final. There will also be matches for the 3^rd and the 4^thslot, the 5^th and the 6^th slot, and the 7^th and the 8^th places. The tournament is part of the Indian Women’s Team preparation for the AFC Olympic Qualifiers Round 2 (in April) and also the SAFF Women’s Championship scheduled in March. Since January, the girls have played 7 International matches which includes their exposure tours to Hong Kong and Indonesia, and the Hero Gold Cup in Bhubaneswar. All India Football Federation General Secretary Mr. Kushal Das said that the aim is to “provide a foolproof preparation” for the Women’s Senior Team ahead of the Olympic Qualifiers Round 2. “We are committed to provide the best of exposure to the Senior Women’s Team. The experience of playing against stronger Teams will serve them in good stead prior to the SAFF Championship, and obviously the Olympic Qualifiers,” he said. “I need to thank the SAI and the MYAS for their support,” Mr. Das added. National Team Director Abhishek Yadav, also a former National Team captain mentioned that “playing more matches will make the girls more confident.” “The girls have already played in 7 International matches since January. At the Turkish Women’s Gold Cup, we are guaranteed of another 4 matches. The tournament will further help to assess the areas we need to stress upon in the Olympic qualifiers, and also in the SAFF Championship,” he maintained. The squad will leave the Indian shores on February 20 and play their first match against Uzbekistan on February 27. India’s fixtures for the Turkish Women’s Cup 2019 is as follows: February 27: India vs Uzbekistan. March 1: Turkmenistan vs India. March 3: Romania vs India. March 5: Play-off matches including FINAL.