Brazil visit: Two more friendlies against Cabo Verde, Iran in FIFA window?

The historic international friendly between India and Brazil in Kolkata on 3 October, while whipping up an early frenzy, appears to have polarised football fans. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has officially withdrawn from the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup in Indonesia in September-October, as its dates clash with the Brazil friendly. The federation is now looking to offset the withdrawal by arranging two more friendlies against top sides that featured in the last World Cup in the USA.

The first-ever ASEAN Cup (September 24–October 3) would have given the Blue Tigers — as the men’s team is known — an opportunity to play at least three matches against evenly matched opponents such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. While the AIFF initially planned to honour both commitments by fielding a second-string team in the ASEAN event, FIFA regulations did not permit India to field a ‘B’ team in the tournament, as doing so could affect the rankings of the participating teams.

“Yes, we will not play in the ASEAN Cup. We have informed FIFA and the organisers,” AIFF president Kalyan Choubey was quoted as saying.

However, the federation is now in talks with the national federations of two teams that participated in the last World Cup to arrange two friendlies, with Cabo Verde and Iran among the names doing the rounds. While Choubey declined to name the two countries in the fray, he said: “We will ensure Indian players do not lose out on game time after pulling out of the ASEAN Cup.”

The confirmation of the Brazil game on October 3 presented the AIFF with a dilemma over sending the team to Indonesia. “As per FIFA protocol, all teams are required to field their ‘A’ teams in tournaments held within the international window. If this is not complied with, clubs in the countries involved may not release their top professionals for the matches, and the participating countries’ FIFA rankings could be affected,” sources involved in the procurement of the teams said. The organisers have now approached Bangladesh as a potential replacement for India.

With the FIFA window running from 21 September to 6 October, the two additional friendlies against top sides are expected to be held ahead of the Brazil match. The venues could be in Kerala, Goa or Bengaluru in Karnataka.

The AIFF’s top brass believes that playing Brazil is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as India, ranked No. 138 in the world, may never otherwise get the chance to face the five-time world champions and perennial crowd favourites. However, the move has drawn criticism, including from iconic former captain Bhaichung Bhutia, who has questioned the AIFF’s priorities in the current circumstances.

“It’s like a struggling family bringing Shah Rukh Khan to dance at their son’s wedding,” Bhutia famously remarked earlier this month. His analogy came against the backdrop of the AIFF’s struggle to find commercial partners for the ISL, Jamshedpur FC’s withdrawal from the league and the Union Sports Ministry’s rejection of the AIFF’s proposal to send teams to the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

Bhutia’s argument does carry some weight, and the ball is now in the Blue Tigers’ court to come up with a credible performance against the Samba Boys and in the two other friendlies.