A prominent debate raged last autumn over the AIFF’s decision, allegedly at Bob Houghton’s insistence, to not allow any player from Houghton’s senior probables preparing for the Asian Cup, to join Sukhwinder Singh’s U-23 Asian Games squad. As many as eight players (none of who eventually made the final 23 for the Asian Cup) could have helped strengthen the Asian Games squad and have picked up some useful experience, but the Asian Cup preparations were believed to be tantamount. Houghton and the AIFF were panned by sections of the media and of the Blue Tigers’ fan base for what was perceived as a mix of shortsightedness and pigheadedness.
A similar debate may well arise in the next couple of months as we embark on difficult and nearly simultaneous campaigns for qualification for the 2014 World Cup and the 2012 Olympics. The senior team will be fielded for the former against the UAE on June 29th and July 3rd, and the U-23 team for the latter against Qatar on June 19th and June 23rd. While 6 days separate the games, the preparatory camps for the two events will likely run simultaneously. This time around, though, Houghton and the fans appear to have switched sides, and it is the fans now that are pushing for the youth infusion into the senior team.
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Several U-23 players were included in the Indian team for the recently completed AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers, including Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Raju Gaekwad, Shilton D’Silva, Jewel Raja Jeje Lalpekhlua (all from the Indian Arrows), Nirmal Chetri and Sushil Kumar Singh (East Bengal), CS Sabeeth (Viva Kerala) and Nallappan Mohanraj (Mohun Bagan). The team successfully helped India top a group that included Turkmenistan, Pakistan and Chinese Taipei. The weakness of the opposition notwithstanding, the performance has energized the fanbase, who have called for the continued inclusion of the youngsters in the senior team for the World Cup qualifiers, despite Houghton’s public statement that he intends to recall the seniors.
A critic of Houghton’s moves last autumn, I believe he has now fallen firmly on the right side of the argument. In fact, I will go one step further to ask that he not include any U-23 player in the senior team, not even the new poster boy of Indian football, Jeje Lalpekhlua or the senior team reserve goal keeper Arindam Bhattacharya. While the World Cup qualifiers are undoubtedly the more important footballing event, I believe the odds of our U-23 team clearing the next hurdle for the 2012 Olympics by beating the U-23 Qatar team are better than those of our senior team beating the senior UAE team in the World Cup Qualifiers. In addition, the experience to be gained by getting to the group level of the qualifiers would be invaluable to Des Bupin’s team as we build towards the goal of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. I believe this justifies fielding the strongest possible team for the 2012 Olympic qualifiers.
My 23 man U-23 squad for the Olympic qualifiers is as follows:
GK: Arindam Bhattacharya, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Jagroop Singh.
DF: Nallappan Mohanraj, Nirmal Chetri, Raju Gaekwad, Naoba Singh, Lalrozama Fanai, Abhishek Das, Deepak Devrani, Arnab Mondal.
MF: Sanju Pradhan, Jewel Singh, Jibon Singh, Shilton D’Silva, Lalrindika Ralte, Gilbert Oliveira, Bineesh Balan.
FW: Jeje Lakpekhlua, Robin Singh, CS Sabeeth, Sushil Kumar Singh, Malsawmfela.
Bulpin may also want to take good looks at Anthony Barbosa, Israel Gurung, Snehashish Chakraborthy, Narugopal Haith, and Shahinlal Meloly, who have all performed well in the ongoing I-League season at one time or the other. While I have not yet seen in Sushil Kumar the spark that Houghton appears to have seen, the man has been involved with the junior and senior national teams for several years already at such a young age, so that experience will hold him in good stead.
The squad should be brought together for a preparatory camp immediately upon the end of the I-League to allow the non-Indian Arrows players to develop an understanding with the rest of the team, and let’s get them to play a few friendlies against West Asian sides.
