Intercontinental Cup: Kenya, New Zealand field experimental sides - where's the challenge, AIFF?

Mumbai, June 6: India skipper Sunil Chhetri knows the national football team is nowhere close to the best in Asia. Even as his teammates and the entire country is celebrating India's qualification for the 2019 Asian Cup in UAE, Chhetri, who only recently became the second Indian to earn 100 international caps, feels different. "Qualifying for the Asian Cup shouldn't be a matter of celebration. But we're (celebrating), because it's rare when it comes to India. We need to be a regular at such events."

Chhetri's plea" title="Intercontinental Cup schedule | Chhetri's plea" />Intercontinental Cup schedule | Chhetri's plea

If you ever want to know what Indian football lacks, where it stands in the world order or where it can be, a chat with this Indian legend is all you need. He knows the team he skippers needs to rub shoulders with the top rug teams in the continent if it has improve and mount a serious challenge. However, even with such a man in their think-tank, it's baffling how the All India Federation (AIFF) treats the national side when it comes to organising games against top sides. Their latest offing, the Intercontinental Cup underway in Mumbai, is nothing but a farcical event.

This is nothing but a small plea from me to you. Take out a little time and give me a listen. pic.twitter.com/fcOA3qPH8i

— Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) June 2, 2018

Indian football is at a crucial juncture today. I say this not because the team has qualified for the Asian Cup — well it would have been a shame if they didn't, given that the competition has be expanded to a 24-team competition from a 16-team affair. It's because people are finally talking about the beautiful game and India in the same breath. And it was a surprise when the AIFF, once again, decided not to capitalise on this momentum.

The Intercontinental Cup, the four-nation joke, yes, I refuse to call it a competition, that the Indian team is involved in since June 1, was suppose to be a testing ground for the team as they prepare for the all-important AFC Asian Cup 2019 in about eight months’ time. It was supposed to see first teams for four competitive sides from various confederations so as to expose Stephen Constantine’s boys to different aspects of the game played across the globe.

So, when the federation, the AIFF, finally announced the four teams — India, South Africa, New Zealand and Chinese Taipei — for this year’s tourney, we hoped to see someone challenging this young bunch of boys with an experienced leader in every aspect of the game. The AIFF also insisted in its press release that the agreement signed between the federations assured that each of the nations would field their strongest side of the competition. This meant India would face the pace and toughness that South Africa has been surprising many with since their cameo at the 2010 FIFA World Cup (remember Siphiwe Tshabalala?), the flair that the 2006 World Cuppers’ All Whites bring to their game and the tenacity of the Taipei side under a confident and determined coach in Gary White.

This is how it works🏃🔥#INDvNZL #WeAreIndia #BackTheBlue #AsianDream pic.twitter.com/xuUlDUvBHR

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 6, 2018

This expectation of quality international football involving Chhetri and side boys would barely die even when South Africa chose to withdraw from the competition and was replaced by Kenya. After all, who wouldn't mind seeing Victor Wanyama and Michael Olunga in action. But it seemed like the federation had another shot up its sleeves. And that was finally delivered on the eve of this competition when we realised that the visitors had travelled with their experimental sides.

Kenya could barely find 23 players to make up a team after Gor Mahia, or like a journalist friend of mine puts it 'Kenya’s Bengaluru FC', and AFC Leopards SC refused to release their players for national team duty. The Kiwis chose to travel with a team largely made up of their U-23 and younger players since the coach 'wanted to test the boys as they were into a new cycle' and the Taipei side also came down with the U-23 side as they are busy preparing for the Asian Games in August.

Even last year, the AIFF committed a similar blunder when it said the Indian Under-17 side, who were on an exposure tour in Europe, pulled off a 2-0 upset against the Under-17 side of Italy. Even as the federation claimed it the biggest win for the young boys, media reports soon pointed out that the team India defeated consisted of youth players from Lega Pro and Lega Pro 2, the third and fourth tiers of Italian football.

Keepers getting charged 💪#INDvNZL #WeAreIndia #BackTheBlue #AsianDream pic.twitter.com/MNETyAjLAo

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 6, 2018

Soon after that, the AIFF shamelessly defended itself saying, "We were told it was the official side representing Italy. We don't have any control over who they feature. It's like a side representing the Indian cricket team if they play a Manoj Tiwary instead of Virat Kohli."

While I agree that the AIFF barely has any say in deciding who travels for the visiting sides, the least it could have done is invited teams who were more likely to field their first team that a bunch of boys under the flag of their nation. This now means, the Indian team has lost another opportunity to truly prepare for the challenge that awaits them in the UAE in January.

New Zealand's Sarpreet Singh wants to put his punjabi to test speaking to @SandeshJhingan and @GurpreetGK.

Read: https://t.co/xY9M8N974H @NZ_Football pic.twitter.com/9xlwMSlbXd

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 6, 2018

No wonder the head coach, Stephen Constantine, wants the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to send the football team for the Asian Games in August in Jakarta. At least there, if not here in the fancy Intercontinental Cup, they will play some of the good youth sides of Asia.