AIFF agrees to disagree

MUMBAI: The AIFF Technical Committee, according to a senior federation official, disagreed on the reports submitted by manager Syed Nasir Ali and coach Sukhwinder Singh on the disastrous tours of Pakistan and Fiji.
According to the team management, the national team's losses were largely due to lack of proper planning of the camps, match schedules and team selection.However, the manager's report, is reportedly in contrast to that of the coach. There were many in the meeting who felt that coach Sukhwinder should be taking most of the flak instead of passing the buck onto the AIFF.
In Delhi, Syed Nasir Ali told TOI, that he had mentioned the lack of physical preparation prior to the trip. "According to me, I felt there could have been more emphasis on physical preparation at the camp.
"In the first game (at Fiji), we thought we lost due to fatigue after such a long flight and time difference, but in the later two games, we were clearly outdone by their superior fitness," he said.
As per the lack of proper planning at the camps, Nasir Ali maintained that the AIFF left no stone unturned to ensure proper facilities. "The ground at SAI was totally unplayable. But once the issue was raised before the AIFF, the camp immediately moved to the city and we got the Kanteerava ground to play," he said.