The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has not given up on the National team’s participation in the Jakarta Asian Games. Even as the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) made its intent not to clear the team, the AIFF placed its hopes on intervention from the Sports Ministry.
No communication
AIFF general-secretary Kushal Das confirmed on Monday that there was no communication from the IOA in this regard.
“A senior official (not IOA president N.K. Batra) had conveyed the message that the football team would not be cleared. But the AIFF is yet to receive anything in writing. We are hopeful,” said Das.
‘Disheartening’
Das termed the IOA decision “sad and disheartening” and offered to bear the team’s expenses.
“We have expressed our disappointment to IOA officially wherein we have even mentioned that we are willing to bear the expenses of travel and stay on our own.
“The IOA had asked for an explanation on June 4, 2018 and after that there has been no communication as to whether the IOA wants to engage further. Even the AIFF president, Mr. Praful Patel, spoke to Mr. Batra and he was told the same thing — ‘draft an explanation for reconsideration”.
National team director Abhishek Yadav said, “We were considering calling up U-17 World Cup players for the preparatory Camp for the Asian Games.The Asian Games would have been a huge experience for them which would have served Indian football in the long run.”
Why go public?
A senior IOA official, however, questioned the wisdom of AIFF going public when no official communication had been sent rejecting the team's participation at the Asian Games.