Tajikistan test awaits India in CAFA Nations Cup opener

Hisor (Tajikistan), Aug 28 (PTI) India begin their campaign against co-hosts Tajikistan in their first ever CAFA Nations Cup participation here on Friday, far away from the turmoil the clubs of the 23-member squad have been facing due to the uncertainty over the future of Indian Super League (ISL).

Newly-appointed head coach Khalid Jamil's task is cut out as he is taking the eight-nation tournament of mostly Central Asian countries as a preparation for the more crucial Asian Cup qualifying round matches against Singapore on October 9 and 14.

Jamil also had to come here without Mohun Bagan Super Giant players, seven of whom were not released by the club on the ground that the tournament does not strictly fall in the FIFA international match window.

Star striker Sunil Chhetri was also left out after Jamil spoke to him "as it is just a preparatory tournament" for the more important Asian Cup qualifiers.

All the 23 players are from ISL clubs, some of whom have either stopped payments or operations of their first teams after the organisers FSDL put the top-tier league on hold in a decision on July 11 due to the non-renewal of the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) signed in 2010 with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and set to expire on December 8. India have been placed in Group B, and after Friday, they face Iran on September 1 and Afghanistan on September 4.

Group A, meanwhile, consists of co-hosts Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan, and Oman.

The top teams from each group will play each other in the final, while the two second-placed teams will face off in the third-place match, both to be played on September 8.

Jamil sounded satisfied with his side’s 10-day preparatory camp in Bengaluru, preceding the tournament.

“We had a good preparation for the CAFA Nations Cup. Every player worked hard before coming here. It is a pleasure for us to participate in this tournament,” he said at the pre-match press conference.

India and Tajikistan have played each other five times in the past, with the Central Asian country winning three. The Blue Tigers’ only win against Tajikistan came in the AFC Challenge Cup 2008 final, where India defeated the Persian Lions 4-1.

That result was 18 years ago, and Tajikistan (106th in FIFA rankings) are a different side now. Jamil is fully aware of the threats that the opponents pose to India (133rd in FIFA Rankings), but is more focussed on the Blue Tigers playing their own game.

“Yes, we know about them (Tajikistan). They are a strong side and have done well recently. But we must focus on our own game and be mentally prepared,” said Jamil.

“It is important for us to play as a unit and keep improving every match. The process will take time. We want to focus on both the juniors and the seniors to build a strong unit for the future matches.” The India head coach stressed the importance of spreading positivity in the team.

“We must think fresh, we must think positive. Yes, this is an away game against a good team, but we have to prepare accordingly and think only of one thing – a positive result. All the players must take responsibility. I feel that we are ready to accept this challenge." India goalkpeeper Hrithik Tiwari, who accompanied his coach at the press conference, said, “We have trained hard over the last few weeks, and our camp in Bengaluru gave us an intense 10 days to get ready for the CAFA Nations Cup. I am sure everyone is excited to play this tournament and ready to give their best.” PTI PDS PDS AT AT