Kolkata, January 9: The Sahara Millennium Cup Super Soccer tournament received yet another setback with Cameroon also pulling out at the last minute. Cameroon became the second team after Iraq to withdraw in the last 48 hours. Japan will take on Uzbekistan in the opener on Wednesday. Uncertainty over the participation of the Indonesian team too was writ large on the faces of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) officials with less than 48 hours left for the Kochi leg.‘‘We have received a communication from Cameroon. They are now bargaining and are asking for more appearance fees. We have asked Fifa to intervene and the position will become clear by Wednesday,’’ All India Football Federation (AIFF) president, Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi told a press conference here on Tuesday. He said Indonesia, who have been clubbed in Group-2 which also has hosts India, have brought a few foreign players in their team which was not permissible under the rules. The team has four Aussies, two Thais and one from Cameroon. AIFF has sent a fax to the concerned authorities asking them to replace the foreign players with National players since they would not be allowed to play.The inaugural day’s matches have been inter-changed as the Chilean team had landed in the city without their baggage which apparently was not boarded in Johannesburg. Chile, who were scheduled to play the inaugural match against Bahrain in the afternoon, will now play the match under floodlights. The second match between Japan and Uzbekistan will be played first. KOCHI: Meanwhile, the pull out of Iraq has thrown a spanner in the works of the local organisers. Grouped alongside Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Bangladesh, the withdrawal of Iraq, a sure crowd-puller, is a sore point in Kochi. The incident has turned the schedule topsy-turvy, demanding a revision in the fixtures. Thus, Group 1 will only have three teams and as many matches.Furthermore, Cameroon’s crying off has rather spoiled the Goan party, reducing Group 3 to three teams, Romania, Jordan, Hong Kong, and six games to just three. To rub salt to the wound, most of the teams are understood to be second-rungers. And this is contrary to the tall claims by the AIFF and the event managers, Studio 2100, that all the teams had confirmed their participation and that they would be sending their National ‘A’ sides. The Chileans have brought a C level team and the absence of World cupper Ivan Zamorano, who was expected to turn up as promised by the organisers, will come as a huge disappointment for the soccer fans in the country. Both Zamorano and Marcelo Salas were busy with their club engagements and could not join the team. Chile’s defender Eros Roque Perez, who played in their recent World Cup qualifying matches, has also withdrawn due to an injury which could weaken their defence a little bit. The Chileans, known for their attacking brand of soccer, have eight players who represented the country in the Sydney Olympics and certainly start as one of the favourites in the $ 150,000 prize money tournament. Meanwhile, four more teams Yugoslavia, Bosnia, Iceland and Bangladesh arrived here on Tuesday. Hosts India and Uruguay are expected on the morrow.The revised fixtures for Kochi: Group 1: Yugoslavia, Bosnia, Bangladesh.Group 2: Uruguay, Iceland, Indonesia, India. Jan 11: Uruguay vs Iceland (5.30 p.m.; India vs Indonesia (7.30 p.m.); Jan 12: Bosnia vs Bangladesh (7.30 p.m.); Jan 13: India vs Iceland (3 p.m.); Uruguay vs Indonesia (5 p.m.). Jan 14: Yuigoslavia vs Bosnia (5.30 p.m.); Jan 15: Iceland vs Indonesia (5.30 p.m.); India vs Uruguay (7.30 p.m.); Jan 16: Yugoslavia vs Bangladesh (7 p.m.); Jan 17: Rest day; Jan 18: Quarter-final (winners of Group 2 vs runners-up of Group 1, 7 p.m.).
