Jordan 2-1 India: 9 instances that prove friendly was nothing more than a soap opera

#4 Match back on as Jordan FA declares that ticket sales will go towards flood relief programme

Surprised by the sudden announcement, people started questioning what made AIFF take such a hasty decision. Also, what about the players’ condition? Did they get enough time to recover?

There were no specific answers from the AIFF but it was learnt that Jordan Football Association requested their counterparts to carry on the match as the money from the ticket sales would go to flood relief programme.

The Arabian country was already ravaged by the flash floods and many people lost their lives. India, despite difficult circumstances, accepted their proposal and told the players to take the field on time no matter what happens.

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#3 None of the seven players figured in starting XI

Jeje (L) did not even find a place on the bench

Some of the prominent players like Jeje Lalpekhlua, Balwant Singh and Ashique Kuruniyan were on the first batch that arrived on Friday night. Three of them were strikers. As India was missing Sunil Chhetri due to injury, at least two of them were expected to be included in the starting XI.

But India coach Stephen Constantine thought otherwise. He included three among them in the squad but neither of them got a place in the starting line-up. Kuruniyan was introduced at half-time and Passi also got his chance later on.

In the post-match press conference, Constantine clarified his decision, “We asked the seven players that came in late how they were feeling and we gave them a few hours to find themselves. I did not want to risk any player that was not feeling right in his skin and we did not risk any on medical grounds.”