U-23 coach Naushad Moosa unhappy with teams prioritising domestic ties over India duty; cites example of striker Suhail Bhat, who was not released by Mohun Bagan for Asian Cup qualifiers
India U-23 striker Suhail Ahmad Bhat (left) during the international friendly vs Indonesia in Jakarta recently. Pic/Suhail Bhat’s Instagram
Less than 48 hours after coach Khalid Jamil’s senior Indian team went down to Singapore and failed to qualify for the prestigious AFC Asian Cup, the coach of India’s U-23 team, Naushad Moosa, has spoken out about a critical issue that has often hindered the national team’s success — clubs not releasing key players for camps and international assignments.
Heartbreak in qualifiers
Moosa, cited the example of his own team, which failed to qualify for the U-23 Asian Cup by the skin of their teeth after finishing fifth among the second-placed teams (only the top four second-placed teams across 11 qualifying groups made it to the main event).
Naushad Moosa
Moosa and his boys recently returned after an impressive performance in two friendlies against Indonesia in Jakarta, where they won the first game 2-1 and drew the second 1-1. Striker Suhail Bhat was at the forefront of the team’s success scoring twice in the first game. However, Moosa revealed that Bhat was not released by his club Mohun Bagan for the U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers, where the national team missed him dearly.
“You can clearly see what difference a player like Suhail Bhat makes to our attack. Imagine if he was there for the U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers, we could have made it to the main event [in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to 25] next year. But his club [Mohun Bagan Super Giant] did not release him for those games. Instead, they said they would release him during the FIFA-authorised international window, but they did not do that either” Kharghar resident Moosa told mid-day on Wednesday.
In the build-up to the senior Indian team’s Asian Cup qualifiers recently, head coach Jamil had said, “The absence of players in some positions has affected training. Some players will be joining in phases, and we are working to make the best of the available resources. In the long run, it’s important to work together to find a solution that balances club and national commitments.”
‘India should be first’
Now, Moosa, a former Blue Tigers defender himself, has also urged clubs to prioritise the national team in order to help the country develop into a force at the international level.
“If we want to develop as a footballing nation, we need to work together. Clubs can’t say that the IFA Shield [the ongoing tournament which Mohun Bagan SG is taking part in] is important or some other tournament is important…no other country does that,” said Moosa.
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