LG Cup: India won’t defend but AIFF has a weak defence

‘‘We have decided not to participate as it does not leave adequate time for the preparation of our team because of the domestic calendar’’, AIFF president Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi told The Indian Express. Federation secretary Alberto Colaco said the organisers were requested to adjust the dates but said they were unable to do so. ‘‘And if August 25 remains the date, it won’t be possible for us.’’

The ‘domestic calendar’ of that period comprises the Federation Cup from July 26 to August 7, leaving 18 days between the end of that tournament Cup and the start of the LG Cup.

Some associations, including the Goa Football Federation and the Indian Football Association (Kolkata) have their own tournaments and can’t spare their players, says Colaco. ‘‘The juniors are also training for the Milk Cup in Ireland between July 19 and July 25 (ending a month before the LG Cup and a day before the Fed Cup) and some of them are part of the senior squad.’’

The matter is put in perspective when Colaco says the AIFF wants to use the time gained to prepare for the more important Afro-Asian Games, starting October 22, and plans a ‘‘long’’ camp prior to it from October 2. That’s 20 days; the lean period before the LG Cup is 18 days.

Equally strange is Dasmunshi’s proposal to send East Bengal instead of an India team. Not only does that contradict the AIFF version that the crammed domestic calendar (of which East Bengal is an integral part) is disallowing an India side from going to Vietnam, it also shows scant respect for East Bengal’s own schedule, which starts with the ASEAN Cup from July 13 in Indonesia, followed by the AFC Champions League. East Bengal’s first match is on July 14, and if they go all the way, they will be booked till July 28.

EB chief Swapan Bal, in fact, expressed his dissatisfaction with the arrangement, saying, ‘‘the Asian Club Cup is our first priority, and with a host of Indian team players in our line-up, it seems unlikely we can form a decent team during the LG Cup’’.

Could there be any other reason for refusing to travel? ‘‘Fear of losing’’, says P K Banerjee. An outspoken critic of the AIFF’s, Banerjee says, ‘‘After winning the LG Cup last year, India has lost everything, even to Pakistan and Bangladesh at the SAAF Games earlier this year. And I think they didn’t want to lose anything else, and didn’t want to spoil their reputation at the LG Cup. This year, the competition is tougher than the junior teams India played against last time. They just played it safe by giving these excuses.’’

The ‘‘competition’’ PK is referring to, includes teams like Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, etc, all ranked higher than India. Last time around, the teams were Thailand under-20, Singapore under-23, Vietnam under-23, Indonesia under-23 and Petrokinia Club from Indonesia. This time, the participating countries are sending stronger senior teams.