Xtra Time Web Desk : On Tuesday, the Indian men’s football team will kick off their campaign at the Asian Games. Several Indian Super League (ISL) clubs were unwilling to release their top footballers, resulting in India fielding a second-string team against China in the tournament.
Prior to this match, India’s head coach Igor Stimac criticized the organizers of the ISL without naming them, for hindering the participation of Indian Super League players. He stated that if he had known this would happen, he would have chosen players from the I-League for the Asian Games instead.
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However, in the end, the ISL clubs did not agree to release their top players, and as a result, India will field a team consisting of second and third-tier players in the Asian Games.
Furthermore, the last-minute selection of the final squad means they won’t have adequate preparation time. Stimac said, “The players will arrive at the Delhi airport on Sunday afternoon and take a 10 pm flight to Hong Kong. From there, we will fly to Hangzhou, where they will arrive at 5 am local time. We won’t have the right preparation time before the match on Tuesday. We’ll have to strategize on the flight and make sure they get enough rest before the match.”
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So, with a rushed and less-prepared team, India will begin their Asian Games campaign against China.