In response to Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) denial to send the Indian football team because the team does not rank between 1-8 at the continental level, All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Monday said that they are willing to send the national team on their own cost. The football association slammed IOA for not even having the courtesy to make an official dialogue about the same.
India is 14th on the list at the continental level and thus IOA has not cleared the team for Asian Games as per its regulations.
AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said that he had written a letter expressing his disappointment about the decision and also emphasised that if the expenses are an issue then they (AIFF) is ready to pay for it. The declaration came a day after AIFF said that Narinder Batra-led IOA lacked 'vision and competence'.
Das said that it was painful as they (IOA) did not release any official statement about the team’s non-participation and declared it all verbally. He added that they did not even have the courtesy to inform the federation on what basis was the team not allowed.
Even after AIFF’s willingness to bear the expenses, the football association will need a go-ahead from the IOA to participate since they have the final say. The secretary said that now they will approach the Sports Ministry and hope for their support.
If the football team misses the football competition of the Asian Games, it would be the first time since the 1994 Hiroshima edition. The major argument made by AIFF is that despite being 14th in Asia, the team has put up a really impressive show lately in international matches.