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Team India
If everything goes as per plan, the Indian National Team is likely to play a friendly match against the Tajikistan National side in Qatar as part of their FIFA World Cup Qualifier against UAE. The ‘Blue Tigers’ already have two friendlies in place against Maldives (July 10) and Qatar (July 17) and if Tajikistan agrees the match against them will be sandwiched between the two friendlies on July 14.
The Tajikistan Football Association have sent in a request to AIFF to play a friendly against India on July 19 in Qatar as the team is training there for their FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Syria. However AIFF have rejected the proposal to play on the 19th as India plays UAE on the 23rd for the first leg and have requested Tajikistan to play on July 14.
“We have written to them that we are fine with the match if played on July 14. Now we are waiting for their reply on the same,” informed an AIFF official.
National Coach Armando Colaco is himself elated about playing Tajikistan in another friendly as the team is rank 14 places above the Indian in the latest FIFA Ranking and another friendly would give Colaco an opportunity to try out some more players before the important match against UAE.
To accommodate the friendly, Colaco requested to move the friendly against Qatar to an earlier date which couldn’t be met as the Qatar national team will be returning from their preparatory camp in France only on July 15.
“Playing on 19th July against them (Tajikistan) isn’t possible as we have our first game against UAE on the 23rd. In that case, playing them after the match against Maldives makes sense,” said the interim Coach.
It’s is better to avoid friendly very close to important matches as an injury to the players in such matches will leave them with no time to recover before the all important matches for which they trained and prepare so hard.
