India gets a foothold in Asean soccer league

If club football in India was all about aiming to be the best in country, things in the coming year have certainly changed. Beginning July t...

If club football in India was all about aiming to be the best in country, things in the coming year have certainly changed. Beginning July this year, the champion Indian club — apart from earning a place to play in Asian Champions League — would also get a chance to play in the inaugural Asean Football Club Championship.

The tournament, formulated last year with the intent of improving footballing standards in South-East Asia — Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Myanmar, Guam, Laos and Cambodia — will feature India as a ‘special invitee’.

Bhutia to miss tie against Korea
Margao: India’s star striker Baichung Bhutia, recuperating from a knee operation, will miss the crucial return tie against North Korea in the Asian Cup preliminary round to be held on Sunday at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda here.
Following its arrival this afternoon, the Indian team, which lost 0-2 against North Korea in the away match, had a practice session this evening without Baichung Bhutia and defender Debjit Ghosh, suffering from viral infection.
Indian coach Stephen Constantine conceded that the “absence of Bhutia will be felt greatly as his experience would have made a difference. He is a fox in the box”. PTI

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The event, scheduled to be held in Indonesia in July, will be a stepping-stone for clubs taking part in the Asian Champions League.

Officials of AIFF’s marketing agent Strata, which is also involved with Asean, say the tournament will be a 12-team affair played on a league-cum-knock-out basis.

Meanwhile, it has been learnt that the national team unlike the last three years will not tour England. London-based Sapphire Enterprises who arranged this tour of England have not come up with any such proposal this time.

However, India will defend their title of the LG Cup in Vietnam in September.