Days ago, the Peruvian National Team officially announced that they will play an international friendly match against Panama before the resumption of the Qatar 2022 Qualifiers. For this reason, the president of the Panamanian federation spoke to a local media outlet to give his opinion.
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"We are very happy to have this friendly match against our brother country Peru. There are many bonds of friendship that unite Peru and Panama since colonial times. Many pioneers in our football were Peruvians," Manuel Arias said in an interview with RPP Deportes.
The head of Panamanian football added the following: "We understand that Peru is a great South American team. We are a humble Central American team and what an honor and pride it is for us to be considered to face them."
Finally, he pointed out that the players will not arrive in good form. "Well, this match will take place one or two weeks before the qualifiers. Many of our players will be in preseason or will not have started preseason with their clubs. Our idea is to start a physical work to find competition," Arias concluded.
It is worth mentioning that the president of the Panamanian Football Federation made it clear that playing the friendly in the United States was never an option, and that playing at the José Díaz Stadium was always the first and only choice.
When will Peru vs. Panama clash?
The friendly match between both teams will take place on January 16, 2022. Both teams are seeking their ticket to the Qatar 2022 World Cup.