AIFF caught in the middle of club-vs-country debate as ISL clubs refuse to release players for the SAFF camp

Trouble is brewing ahead of the forty-five days long preparatory camp for the South Asian Football Federation Championship. Several Indian clubs have refused to release their players for the camp, questioning the length of the camp itself. Earlier this month, the announcement was made regarding the camp for the SAFF Championship. A total of thirty-four members were called to attend the camp before the squad would be trimmed and taken to the championship. Out of those thirty-four players, thirty-three of them are a part of Indian Super League clubs, with a sole player coming from the I-League. The tournament in itself is scheduled to begin from September 4 and will run on till September 15. A total of seven teams will take part in the championship, being held in Bangladesh this time around. The camp is scheduled to begin on July 28, two days from today. However, ISL clubs have now refused to let players leave for the forty-five-day field. Leading the debate are Super Cup Champions and ISL runners-up Bengaluru FC, who have questioned the validity of such a long camp. Bengaluru, have the busiest scheduled out of all the ISL clubs, as they are currently participating in the AFC Cup as well. Keen to keep players to be prepared to compete on all fronts, Bengaluru has refused to let their players leave. "Since the SAFF tournament will be played from September 4-15 in Bangladesh and the ISL will begin almost immediately, the Bangalore franchise have asked what the need for keeping players away from the club for 45 days is," an AIFF official was quoted by the 

Telegraph India.  A significant factor owing to clubs' refusal to release players, is the 2018-19 Indian Super League schedule. Although not officially revealed, the league is expected to start shortly after the SAFF Championship. The ISL clubs, as a result, are arguing that they will have less time to prepare for the upcoming season. Tournament wise, India is the current champions of the South-Asian tournament and will be looking to retain their crown. The Blue Tigers have been drawn alongside Myanmar and Sri-Lanka in Group B, and once again stand a good chance of winning the tournament. However, once again the whole situation is soured by the entire club-vs-country debate, with the ISL clubs refusing to release their players over an extended period. AIFF is expected to meet soon to discuss the situation, and hopefully, come up with a solution that satisfies all the parties involved.

---

Also read: Why did National Captain for football, Sunil Chhetri, have to beg for support?