AIFF bows to Bengaluru FC wishes; allows players to join national team camp late
THE AIFF has decided to accept Bengaluru FC's decision not to release their players for the national team's training camp ahead of the SAFF Championship. It has been decided that Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh and other Bengaluru FC players will join the Bengaluru FC camp only on 18th December; 7 days prior to India's first match in the tournament.
The squabble began a few days ago when Bengaluru FC wrote to AIFF saying their players were tired after playing in the ISL and participating in a full-length training camp ahead of the SAFF Cup will hamper their fitness ahead of the I-League, which kicks of 9th January.
This move put AIFF in a spot. Because back in October, just before India went off to play two World Cup Qualifier matches away from home against Oman and Turkmenistan, ISL franchises did not want to release their players for a training camp ahead of the difficult tour. AIFF had obediently scrapped the entire camp for ISL's convenience. The players were released 4 days before the first match (the minimum period mandated by FIFA) and India lost both matches. No one in the Indian football establishment batted an eye at that and called out ISL franchises on their selfishness.
But all that came back to bite AIFF as they were unable to force Bengaluru FC's hand regarding the release of players. Doing so would expose the blatant double standard they have for ISL franchises and the real football clubs in this country.
Thus, the Bengaluru FC players are slated to miss much of the training camp ahead of the SAFF Cup. It can be argued that this is a good thing; after being put through the hectic schedule of the private tournament it is good for the players to take a few days off. But the bottom line is that Stephen Constantine's plans to prepare the Indian team ahead of crucial matches are constantly being trampled because of the bureaucratic mess that has been created by allowing a second "league" to proliferate and eat into the Indian football calendar; and it's making the national team suffer.
