Home Sports
Indian Football Team Coach Igor Stimac ‘Sincerely’ Requests ISL Clubs To Release Players For U-23 National Camp
Days ago, coach Stimac appealed to the Sports Ministry and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow the men’s and women’s football teams to participate in the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China. Now, Indian Football Team Coach Igor Stimac has made a ‘sincere’ request to the Indian Super League (ISL) clubs to release players for the national camp, scheduled to start on August 12th.
Initially, the football team was not considered for the Asian Games as they did not rank among the top 8 nations in Asia in their respective fields. However, due to the recent performances of the men’s national team in the Tri-Nation Series, Intercontinental Cup, and the SAFF Championship, the existing rule has been waived off. But, East Bengal and Mumbai City FC, two ISL clubs, have shown reluctance in sending their players to the national camp and have written a letter to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) expressing their concerns.
To address the issue, Stimac took to social media to express his feelings in a lengthy note. He emphasized the need for longer camps as short camps won’t be beneficial for the Indian team in big tournaments. He urged all ISL clubs to support the national teams in the upcoming major tournaments such as the AFC U-23 qualifiers, Asian Games, World Cup Qualifiers, and AFC Asian Cup.
Stimac applauded the efforts of clubs in developing and nurturing players and acknowledged their role in the recent success of the national team. He thanked the clubs and coaches and requested their support for longer camps in November and December before the World Cup Qualifiers and AFC Asian Cup.
The national camp is primarily for the U-23 qualifiers, taking place from September 6-12 in Dalian, China.