SAFF Championship 2013: Afghanistan coach to appeal ban; available for tournament

Afghanistan head coach Yousef Kargar is likely to be present at the technical area at SAFF Chamionship despite the four-match ban that was handed to him by the AFC for his misconduct against Laos against in an AFC Challenge Cup qualifier earlier this year.

Kargar stated at the pre-tournament press conference on Friday that he has appealed his ban and expects to be at the dugout throughout SAFF 2013.

“We have appealed the ban so for now I will be present at the technical area,” Kargar stated.

Afghanistan, who finished runners-up in the last edition two years ago, is currently the highest-ranked team in South Asia and coach Kargar admitted that his team are the favourites.

“On paper, we maybe the favourites but everyone is capable of winning this tournament so have to work hard and be at our best,” he said.

Afghanistan open their campaign against the lowest-ranked nation Bhutan on Monday and come into this tournament in good form as they qualified for the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup and also defeated Pakistan 3-0 last week in their first-ever match on home soil since 2003.

Kargar, however, played down his team’s preparation and impressive form stating that other nations in the region still enjoy better facilities.

“One match is not enough but we have tried to prepare as much as possible. Other teams have better facilities to train while we are still a war-torn nation that is still recovering,” Kargar opined.