How would you feel if IPL refuses to release players for National duties? What if they consider that playing a game in IPL is more important than playing for the country? Wouldn't you be livid? Right? Well the same is happening in Indian Football. Indian Super League organisers have refused to release Players for India's upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying match against Turkmenistan and Oman. Both of the are away matches and include considerable travel time.
Indian team is scheduled to play against Turkmenistan on October 8 and Oman on October 12 but ISL Organisers have refused to release players for the National Camp that was supposed to start on 29th September. ISL will kick off from 3rd October with defending Champions Atletico de Kolkata taking on Chennaiyin FC at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai.
Indian National Team Coach, Stephen Constantine admitted that there will be no camp for preparation before the Qualifiers. A disappointed Stephen told, " It is a nor to release national players at least 4 to 5 days before FIFA game, but unfortunately this is not going to happen."
India has already lost three of their previous matches in Asian Qualifiers and had the best chance of registering their first win against Turkmenistan, who are 7 places above us in FIFA Ranking. But the chances are now remote with Indian National players leaving for the match just a couple of days before the scheduled game with almost no time to acclimatise to the harsh Central Asian weather.
AIFF as expected have maintained a complete silence on the matter. " We are helpless. We are being dictated and have no choice but to support the ISL Organisers." Was the answer of a Senior AIFF Official on the matter.
Former FIFA President, Sepp Blatter once said about India that she is a Sleeping Giant of Football. With the way things are going in Indian Football, the slumber doesn't seem to end.
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