A top AIFF official on Friday said that the Indian football players, who lost to Singapore in an away international friendly on Tuesday, lacked fitness as they were playing in the midst of the I-League which required constant travelling.
Second round I-League matches were played till October 11 and the national team left for Singapore two days later for the October 16 match.
I-League Chief Executive Officer, Sunando Dhar admitted that it was not ideal for the players to play in an international match just a few days after featuring in the league. ‘The players in Singapore match were lacking in fitness.
Travelling in I-League matches had affected them. It’s ideal to have 7-10 days gap for preparation before an international match. But they may have to be used to this things,’ he said during a panel discussion on ‘Mission Rank 100: Myth or Reality?’ organised by FICCI.
Dhar said that the scheduling of the I-League has been tough in view of the fact that the national team will also have to give slot for international matches.
‘For the last 2-3 seasons, preparing the I-League fixture has been a tough job to address.’
Second round I-League matches were played till October 11 and the national team left for Singapore two days later for the October 16 match.
I-League Chief Executive Officer, Sunando Dhar admitted that it was not ideal for the players to play in an international match just a few days after featuring in the league. ‘The players in Singapore match were lacking in fitness.
Travelling in I-League matches had affected them. It’s ideal to have 7-10 days gap for preparation before an international match. But they may have to be used to this things,’ he said during a panel discussion on ‘Mission Rank 100: Myth or Reality?’ organised by FICCI.
Dhar said that the scheduling of the I-League has been tough in view of the fact that the national team will also have to give slot for international matches.
‘For the last 2-3 seasons, preparing the I-League fixture has been a tough job to address.’