CHENNAI: Finally, after much brouhaha, court battles and controversies, the domestic football season for most of the Indian Super League teams is set to kick off on Saturday. With the fate of Indian Super League still in the limbo (new tendering process is on), the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Super Cup will serve as season openers for those clubs who missed out on Durand Cup in August.
Understandably, some clubs are not too amused. The last five months, pre-season time to be precise, were spent in anxiety with a few of the clubs even resorting to salary-cuts and freeze in signing of new players. There have been no friendlies or warm-up matches either.
Chennaiyin FC is one such club. New Chennaiyin coach and former India midfielder Clifford Miranda put a concerned face over the impending challenge — three matches in six days — after five months of inactivity. He was quite vocal because clubs like Chennaiyin, which have put their pre-season plans on the back-burner, now have little time to prepare for matches against teams that have had match fitness.
Chennaiyin are grouped with ISL champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant, East Bengal FC and Dempo SC in Group A of the tournament. Miranda's all-Indian squad will have a stern test against MBSG on Saturday, who have had played matches during the Durand Cup as well as at the AFC Cup. East Bengal FC also appeared in the Durand Cup that concluded in late August.
Incidentally, both Kolkata teams also featured in this year's IFA Shield, which Bagan won 2-1. "Not having to train around five months and then to play three games in six days is crazy, but I believe this how we need to adapt sometimes," he said in a press conference on the eve of the opening round of the match. After Saturday's tie, Chennai will then face East Bengal on October 28 and then face Dempo SC on October 31.
Clubs postponed pre-season training due to uncertainty over the start of the ISL season. The AIFF and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) did not come to an agreement over extending the expiring Master Rights Agreement (MRA) to organise the league. This prompted the national football body to search for a new commercial partner to run the league. The search for the same will begin in early November. In September, the AIFF confirmed that the Super Cup would take place from October after which both the leagues will begin.
Saturday's opponents will have more match fitness, and Miranda admitted that it is a concern. "Whatever I have been telling them they (players) have been able to grasp it very well. In terms of the physical condition (of the players) it is not enough. You can not compensate five months' inactivity as a team to just 12 days of preparation. It will never complement. If we push them more it will result in injuries, which would be a catastrophic," he said.
"Both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan had more than three months of pre-season training, and competition. The more you play and train the more fitter you get. But it will be difficult for us," he added. With a spot in an AFC Champions League Two at stake, one of Miranda's top priorities is to avoid injuries as much as possible, and help his players gain match fitness.
Bagan coach Jorge Molina, felt that the team needs to play more matches, despite starting their season early. "Right now, we are improving, better than in the first part of the season in the Durand Cup. But we still need to play more matches to achieve our best. But we are optimistic about it," he said.
