Football
India only side to play AFC Asian Cup without GPS vests
India coach Igor Stimac said the unavailability of GPS vests affected his players as they saw a basic equipment was missing during their training.
Indian football team at the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar
The peculiarity around Indian football seems to have no ending. There has already been so much criticism hurled at the Indian team and the AIFF for its dismal performance at the AFC Asian Cup where the Blue Tigers left home empty-handed, losing all three of its matches and without scoring a goal.
Now, it has been found that India was the only side among the 24 participating teams at the tournament in Qatar without GPS equipment.
According to a Hindustan Times report, the unavailability of GPS vests and other equipment happened due to fault of the airlines which carried the Indian team to Qatar. The airlines reportedly misplaced the equipment causing trouble for the Indian team.
The GPS tracker system, embedded in the players' training shirts, was first implemented in the Indian team's training in 2015. The technology is widely used all over the world to monitor fitness levels of footballers.
The Indian team had assembled in Doha on December 29.
"(It) affects the players when they see basic training equipment is missing," Stimac reportedly said, claimed an AIFF official quoted by the media outlet.
The official added, "Some four airlines were involved and we have written many letters to them but to no avail. We have lost equipment worth nearly Rs 45 lakh. We have ordered new GPS vests,” the official added.
India lost all of its three Group B matches against Australia (0-2), Uzbekistan (0-3), and Syria (0-1), marking it a disastrous campaign for the side.
