"Argentina wanted to play neutral team, not India," reveals AIFF secretary

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran, on Saturday, said that the Argentina Football Federation did not submit any official proposal regarding playing a match against India. The reigning world champions had instead expressed their desire to play against a neutral team on Indian soil.

"There was no official proposal from Argentina to play against India. They wanted to play against a neutral team in India and they were just looking for a sponsor. Since they did not want to play against India, we could not do anything about it," Shaji said to Media One.

"If Kerala sports federation wants to host Argentina, we will provide necessary assistance on that front," he further added.

According to Prabhakaran's statement, Argentina conveyed their desire to play a match on Indian soil but wanted to compete against a team other than India.

While the reasons behind this was not explicitly stated, it appears that Argentina sought a neutral opponent to test their skills in unfamiliar territory.

Prabhakaran further emphasised that had Argentina shown interest in a match against India, the AIFF would have explored possibilities and worked towards making the game happen.

While Argentina's preference for a neutral opponent in India posed a unique circumstance, Prabhakaran's statement clarified that the AIFF was open to facilitating a match between the two teams if the world champions had desired it.

Despite the absence of an official proposal, the AIFF faced considerable criticism from football enthusiasts for declining the hypothetical request.