MANAMA: The Bahrain national team left this morning for Trinidad & Tobago, hoping that in
ten day's time, the tiny Gulf State will be Asia's fifth representative at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Bahrain who beat Uzbekistan to become Asia's fifth-placed team in the Asian qualification, will meet Trinidad & Tobago who finished fourth in the CONCACAF qualification. The first leg will be played on November 12 (18:30 hrs local time) while the second leg will be in Bahrain on November 16 (19:00 hrs local time)
Coach Luka Peruzovic has called up 25 players for the trip, including 11 who are plying their trade in the Qatari and Kuwaiti leagues.
Meanwhile, fans in Bahrain might just have to make do with the Internet as their only way of following the progress of their team. This follows the demand of US$250,000 broadcasting fee by Traffic sport who owns the rights to the match. The asking price is reportedly beyond the reach of Bahrain TV who has a budget of US$50,000