Maldives national football team coach Istvan Urbányi has said that they will need years for Maldives to compete against China on equal footing.
During yesterday's pre-match press conference, journalists from China questioned Urbányi about the match Maldives played against China 25 years ago.
The 2001 World Cup Qualifier match for the chance to play in the 2002 World Cup at South Korea and Japan saw Maldives suffer a 1-0 defeat at the hands of China during the match played at the Galolhu Stadium.
While answering the question from a Chinese journalist highlighting the match, Urbányi said it is a thing of the past, and that it is a completely different story.
"We believe that we are not on the same level as China. We are approaching this tournament and match with three aims. The first is to gain experience. The second is to learn. And the third is to play competitively," said Urbányi.
"The match played 25 years ago is in my eyes, a thing of the past. Even though both teams faced off against each other 25 years ago, that is a completely different story."
Urbányi stated that what is important to him is how they will play against China in the future. Even when looking at the physical strength and speed of the players, Urbányi highlighted that the Chinese team is better than Maldives in every way.
"However, our attention is mainly focused on our own team, how we can capitalize on opportunities, how we can make use of important moments and how we can escape from difficult situations," Urbányi said.
He went on to say that players from the Maldives team will have no hesitation in playing the match, no matter how strong the China team may be.
"What I want to say is that we have no hesitation. No matter how much we want achievements in the distant future. We will work to gain experience from tomorrow's match," stated Urbányi.
"It is my opinion that we need years of work to truly play on equal footing with a strong team such as China. However, we will step onto the pitch with the level we are at and work hard."
"I have told the players that each of them has to work hard or go beyond their limits and face the consequences. If not, we will be pressed back. We will have the same train of thought during tomorrow's match as well," commented Urbányi.
Maldives and China's international friendly match will be played today at the Chongqing Longxing Football Stadium, China at 4:35 pm local time. According to the Football Association of Maldives (FAM), Public Service Media's (PSM) YES TV will be broadcasting the match live.
