Indian team finally leaves for Dubai,won’t play friendlies there

In Dubai,the Indian team will have an 11-day training stint at the Emirates Sevens ground,owned by Emirates Airlines before embarking for a one-month training camp at FC Barcelona.

The Dubai leg is being arranged in association with Gulf International Promotions and its Chief Executive Officer Raul Fernandes said Houghton’s boys will not play any exhibition match in Dubai.

“The Indian team will not play any matches in Dubai. They will have only training sessions at the Emirates Sevens ground,” Fernandes said from Dubai.

“It’s a private ground of Emirates Airlines and the surface is natural grass,not artificial turf,” he said.

Meanwhile,the players are upbeat about the trip to Dubai and Barcelona. “Training in Barcelona would be great. We will get to use world class facilities there,something which we don’t get here,” said captain Bhaichung Bhutia.

Central defender Gouramangi Singh said the trip would boost the chances for his team to defend the title they won in 2007.

“We won the 2007 Nehru Cup after a training tour to Portugal and this time we are defending the title and so it will give a huge boost to our confidence. It was the right thing on the part of AIFF and Houghton,” he said.

“The facilities at Portugal (in 2007) was great and we are now going to use the facilities at FC Barcelona. So it is something we are looking forward to,” said the 23-year-old.

The squad would be trimmed to 24 for the Barcelona leg from July 7 to August 7. They will play friendly matches with local clubs there before returning home.