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World Cup qualifiers: India to train in Dubai before Lebanon tie

By IANS

New Delhi : The Indian football team will train in Dubai for ten days before their first round qualifier match for the 2010 World Cup against Lebanon slated for Oct 8.

According to the draw of the Asian leg qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, India will play their away match Oct 8 and will host the West Asian country Oct 28.

The Indian team’s camp in Dubai will start Sep 25, a day after Mahindra United play Lebanon’s Al Nejmeh in the quarterfinal of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup. The Indian team comprises of six Mahindra players and they would join the national team from Beirut.

Coach Bob Houghton is concerned about the fact that the gap between Mahindra’s match and India’s qualifying match is too small.

“The time gap is too small. It will hamper our preparation. What will we do if a player gets injured? There is just not enough time to prepare,” he said.

Houghton also criticised the AFC over the dates of the draw and said the Asian body has “just messed up the schedule terribly.”

“What the AFC has done is a scandal,” Houghton said after a team training session ahead of India’s crucial match against Kyrgyzstan.

“If we win against Lebanon then we play Tajikistan sometime in November I think, and if Mahindra also win their first AFC Cup match, there is a possibility the dates might clash again,” said Houghton.