ISL clubs reluctant to let go of Indian players for SAFF championships
Indian Super League (ISL) clubs, mainly Super Cup and ISL champions Bengaluru FC, are refusing to release their Indian players for a 45-day preparatory camp for the upcoming South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) championships in Bangladesh. The tournament has been scheduled from September 4-15.
Indian football team’s chief coach Stephen Constantine shortlisted 34 players (33 from ISL and 1 from I-league) for the preparatory camp mostly comprising of U-23 players. Bengaluru FC’s defiance was evident considering the number of Indian players (23 - maximum for any ISL club) they have and their AFC Cup Inter-Zonal semifinals against Turkmenistan’s Alton Asyr FK next month.
The camp was scheduled to be held at the Ambedkar stadium in Delhi from July 28. The ISL clubs claimed that the 45-day SAFF camp would hamper their own preparatory camps for the upcoming ISL (beginning around September 18).
According to the sources (TOI), the officials of the All India Football Federation have scheduled a meeting to find a possible solution in consultation with the ISL clubs.