The All India Football Federation has decided to hold the India under-16 camp in Srinagar.
This is the first time that a national camp of any Indian football squad would be held in Kashmir.
The camp will begin on July 18 as the under-16 boys get going for the SAFF Championship to be held in Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital, from September 1 to 11. As many as 52 boys will report for the camp where the list will be pruned to 24.
The AIFF's technical committee, headed by former India captain IM Vijayan, on Thursday recommended ex-international Ishfaq Ahmed as the head coach. Rajan Mani and Feroz Sharif will be the assistant coach and goalkeeper coach, respectively.
The AIFF reasons Srinagar's weather will be more or less similar to that of Bhutan. “It will help the boys get acclimatised to the conditions there faster,” an AIFF official told The Telegraph on Thursday. "Also, the ground in Thimphu will be artificial turf. Srinagar has an artificial one too. So it will give the boys an added advantage," he explained.
The decision is also being seen as political since the Narendra Modi government is keen to give an impression that all is well in the Valley after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.
Kashmir, in the past, has hosted tournaments like the Federation Cup and the Santosh Trophy. Real Kashmir FC also played their I-League home matches at the TRC Ground.
Ishfaq Ahmed, who returned to his home in Srinagar from Tokyo earlier this month after completing the last module of the AFC Pro-Licence course, said he was looking forward to the challenge. "These boys will graduate to the senior team in a few years," he said.
