Tough road ahead for Indian football

In the absence of Gawli at the back and Lawrence marshalling the midfield,Chhetri said though the team would miss the stalwarts,he was confident that the youngsters drafted in as their replacements would play to their potential and do well. “Mahesh and Climax are legends of Indian football and we will definitely miss them,but it is now up to the youth to prove they are worthy of taking up the spots vacated by these two.”

The Indian team will be flying to Dubai on February 15 for a 10 day camp to prepare for the tournament. The trip will also include friendly matches against Oman and Azerbaijan. Goalkeeper Karanjit Singh said the camp was a great opportunity for the team to gel and formulate a proper strategy for the AFC Challenge Cup. “This trip to Dubai will be very helpful,we have a young confident team and playing against two good international sides is always helpful.” said Singh.

Chhetri also said that the Indian team had a real chance once it qualified from the group. “Once we are out of the group,I give the team a real good chance of even going all the way; the first two games are very important for us.”

Gawli and Lawrence bid adieu

Meanwhile the farewell ceremony for Gawli and Lawrence,who last played for India in the SAFF Cup triumph in December,was devoid of any razzmatazz. The duo was presented an Indian jersey and a silver plaque each by AIFF general secretary Kushal Das.

Gawli said he was happy to have called time on his international career when he was still at the top of his game. “I thought if I have to retire then I have to do it when I am still playing well. At the end of the SAFF Cup,I was convinced it was the right time to go.” Lawrence,on the other hand,was of the opinion that he still had something to offer but was forced to retire after being dropped for the Nepal tournament.

(Chinmay Brahme is a student of the Express Institute of Media Studies.)