Indian football team to play Bhutan as USA tour does not materialise

The Indian national football team will play Bhutan in an unofficial away practice game on August 13 after the proposed tour of the United States of America did not materialise. The 23-member squad is presently sweating it out in a pre-season Camp in Delhi.

"We are a bit disappointed that the tour to USA didn't happen. In such a situation it was very important for us to get a game but we managed to get one at such a short notice, national coach Stephen Constantine was quoted as saying by the AIFF website. "We have a squad of 23 Players who have not trained for the last two to three months. A lot of them are youngsters and it just gives us a chance to give these boys a bit more of International experience," he added.

"We have a lot of guys who have been knocking at the door to get in and with Bengaluru FC and East Bengal having not released their Players, it provided the opportunity for some other people to get some exposure," he maintained. "We have said all along that we are trying to build a bigger pool of Players. There is a fierce competition for places and I think this game is important in the development of young Players," he commented.

Meanwhile, some Players and staff were hit by a bout of food poisoning on Wednesday (August 3, 2016). The squad has been practicing in the Capital since July 26. Bhutan are presently preparing for their Qualifiers for the Asian Cup Qualifiers.

"The Players in Bhutan are presently playing in their League. They will have a lot of games under their belt," Constantine mentioned.