The Indian football team will return to action on Saturday, taking on Singapore in a three-nation friendly tournament in Ho Chi Minh City, after months of federation politics, allegations and counter-allegations, uncertainty over the future of the chief coach, and the risk of being an international pariah.
With a new body in place and the technical committee extending coach Igor Stimac’s contract until the end of the Asian Cup, India can finally begin preparing for next year’s continental championship.
However, it begins in a less-than-ideal situation. Despite the fact that the majority of the players have had a proper pre-season with their clubs, India enters the match against Singapore slightly under-prepared, having only had one full training session under Stimac before travelling to Vietnam. To compound matters, defenders Sandesh Jhingan and Chinglensana Singh are unlikely to play against Singapore.
This will be India’s first match since their successful campaign in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers in June, where they played three matches and finished with a perfect record.
