The Indian national football team will have their camp for the upcoming international friendlies slotted in September in the city from Sunday. The training sessions will begin from the next day (August 16).
This will be the first time in 15 years that the national squad will be having a camp in the city. The last time they had a camp in Calcutta was in 2006 prior to the Fifa World Cup Qualifier versus Saudi Arabia.
The camp will be conducted in a secured bio-bubble, adhering to the laid-down health parameters in the wake of the current pandemic situation. The contingent will also be undergoing regular testing.
Head coach Igor Stimac named the initial list of 23 probables, leaving out players from ATK Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC owing to the two clubs’ AFC Cup commitments in Maldives.
Players from both clubs (the likes of Sandesh Jhingan, Manvir Singh, Udanta Singh and Sunil Chhetri) will be joining the squad immediately once their AFC Cup campaign gets over. “We need to check on the players who will be in the camp with us next week and choose the best ones until the rest join in,” Stimac said.
