East Bengal and Mumbai City FC have written to the All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) saying they will not release players for the training camp in Bhubaneswar scheduled to begin on August 12.
The camp has been called for the Asian under-23 qualifiers scheduled from September 6-12 in Dalian, China. India, coached by Clifford Miranda, are grouped with Maldives, UAE and China. The qualifiers will also be part of the 2024 Olympics qualifying cycle.
With both clubs engaged in the 132nd Durand Cup, they have told AIFF it would not be possible to release players outside the FIFA window (September 4-12). East Bengal only have goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill in the shortlist but Mumbai City FC have forwards Vikram Pratap Singh, Gurkirat Singh, Ayush Chhikara, defenders Sanjeev Stalin and Halen Nongtdu.
All five have been named in Mumbai City’s 29-player squad for the Durand Cup. Mumbai City FC start against Mohammedan Sporting here on Saturday.
Shaji Prabhakaran, AIFF’s secretary-general, said the federation will talk to the clubs to smoothen the situation through the season where players will be called to India camps for different tournaments.
“We (AIFF and clubs) are together in this project to help Indian football grow. The clubs know that if the national teams do well, it will have a ripple effect that will benefit all stakeholders. The clubs have always been hugely supportive and I am hopeful this will be solved through dialogue,” said Prabhakaran.
It is possible that AIFF could defer the start of the camp to ensure Gill does not miss the season’s first Kolkata derby, on August 12, in the Durand Cup.
In another development, India head coach Igor Stimac is scheduled to speak to all ISL head coaches on August 8.
