I write this on September 15 at 10am.
According to the original itinerary, the Indian football team was to train in Thailand and leave for China from Thailand on September 16, to get in two practice sessions ahead of the first game against China on September 19.
The camp did not happen for reasons now known to all, and the team made it back to India on September 12 before the players went back to their ISL clubs because the FIFA window was over.
From the information available, ten players from the formally announced list are yet to receive their relevant travel documents or visas. The earliest they are expected to get them is September 16, meaning they can only travel on September 17. In such a scenario, the Indian team, which is going to play in the Asian Games – a competition of national importance, for which they were granted a special government exemption to play – will reach Hangzhou on the evening of September 18. And India’s first game against China is the following day.
Yes, Sunil Chhetri has said he will still go and give it his all for India. With Chhetri, you know he will. But is it fair on him or any of the other players? Reaching on the 18th and playing on the 19th without a single training session. Should we or can we expect results? Is it even fair to do so, and then question the coaches and the players?
Chhetri or anyone for that matter, be it Igor Stimac or some other player, are not magicians. They are human beings with bodies that follow certain biorhythms. After a 15-16 hour travel schedule and more than 20 hours in transit, they are expected to play less than 24 hours after their arrival in China.
The sports ministry made an exception based on requests from the AIFF, and the momentum the sport now has in the country after a run of great results. They made this exception thinking the football team could stand up and deliver in China. With what has happened, is that a realistic expectation anymore?
Will a bad performance not backfire on the AIFF and on the sport itself? Will we not lose momentum? Is this situation conducive for any team in any sport to do well? And what might be going through the minds of the players at the moment?
Yes, both Chhetri and Stimac will go, and not give up. Yes, they will motivate the boys. But then, there are things which neither of them can control. Without a single training session and without adequate recovery time, will tired bodies recover from the jet lag before taking field against China?
The situation is so farcical that even sports science cannot help. Perhaps the only thing we can do as football fans is pray.