Reports | Croatia ready to host India's training camp ahead of World Cup Qualifiers

India’s display in the 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifiers has been dismal, with them having failed to win a single match even though the team faced weaker opponents like Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Although the Blue Tigers are out of contention for the showpiece event, they can still make a cut to the 2023 AFC Asian Cup by winning two of the three remaining matches to be played in October-November, later this year.

As per reports of Goal.com, Davor Suker, the President of the Croatian Football Federation has sent a letter to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) head Praful Patel, showing interest in hosting the Indian team for the proposed training camp ahead of the World Cup qualifiers. It is also learned that the Croatian Federation would provide all facilities and hospitality and help them organise the friendly if the team have consented to visit the European nation, where lockdown restrictions have been lifted already.

The final decision still depends on the current pandemic situation, with International travel banned for the time being. The number of Covid-19 cases in India is increasing at an alarming rate and the qualifiers would be played in front of empty stands. While Igor Stimac’s men are set to host heavyweights Qatar on October 8, they will travel to Bangladesh for an away match on November 12 and finish their campaign against Afghanistan on November 17.