AIFF Defends Women's Asian Cup Preparations After Group Stage Exit

Despite India's disappointing group-stage exit from the AFC Women's Asian Cup, the AIFF defends its 'extensive' preparation, citing significant overseas exposure and a strategic coaching appointment.

Subrata Paul, the AIFF's director of national teams, defended the preparations for the AFC Women's Asian Cup on Thursday, describing them as "quite extensive" despite India's group-stage exit from the tournament in Australia.

The team was knocked out of the tournament after losing all three Group C matches, concluding its campaign with a 3-1 defeat to Chinese Taipei in Sydney on Tuesday.

Despite the disappointing results though, the team showed fighting spirit in their final match and in the opener against Vietnam.

"I believe the preparation was actually quite extensive. The Indian team spent around 48 days overseas for exposure. The team played six matches in Turkey and two in Australia. Prior to that, they spent six days in Dubai and played two matches, and earlier had a 13-day camp in Shillong where they played two matches as well," Paul told PTI.

"In addition, seven national team players represented East Bengal, where they played SAFF and AFC matches, and also featured in the Indian Women's League, playing six to seven matches.

"Altogether, the players prepared for around 67 days, playing 13 games internationally, and about 17 matches for their club side," Paul, the former India goalkeeper who has also played in the men's Asian Cup, added.

In their first appearance in the tournament on merit, India entered with hopes of advancing, but the team instead finished bottom of their group following losses to Vietnam (1-2), Japan (0-11), and Chinese Taipei.

"In our initial plan, we had intended to complete the IWL before this tournament. However, at East Bengal's request - so that the AFC Women's Champions League and SAFF Women's Championship commitments could be completed first - the league schedule was adjusted.

"As a result, instead of all 14 matches, the girls played seven. Even so, the core players still got international matches, which was in the best interest of the national team. The AIFF remained flexible with the IWL schedule to support that objective," Paul said.

The former India goalkeeper was asked if it would have been better had more matches been arranged against national teams instead of games against club sides in the run-up to the tournament in Australia.

"One must understand that to play against other national teams, a FIFA window is required, and in each window a team can usually play only two matches. We have utilised the available windows to play against Uzbekistan, Iran and Nepal.

"We had also scheduled a match against North Macedonia, but unfortunately it could not take place due to last-minute visa issues.

"Since this was the first time in history of Indian women's football that we were competing in final round of the AFC Women's Asian Cup qualifiers, we made every effort to provide the national team with as many international matches as possible," Paul said.

AIFF Defends Coaching Appointment

The All India Football Federation's (AIFF) technical director Sabir Pasha defended their move to appoint Costa Rican Amelia Valverde as the women's team's head coach less than the two months before the Asian Cup, saying they needed someone of her calibre to steer the team in the right direction.

Asked what was the thought behind it, Pasha said, "As you all know, Amelia brings valuable experience, having coached Costa Rica to the World Cup in 2015 and 2023. The dressing room needs someone who has operated at that level before, and I believe her experience has helped the girls immensely."

Inquiry into Kit Controversy

The AIFF's deputy secretary general M Satyanarayan said the federation has already asked its integrity officer to conduct a thorough investigation into the controversy around the players' kit that occurred just 48 hours before the Indian team's opening match in Australia.

"The moment the issue was brought to my notice, we acted immediately. Within six hours, we arranged new kits that met the best global standards to ensure the players had what they needed. Our priority was to address the concern quickly so that the team could focus fully on the tournament.

"At the same time, I have asked our integrity officer, who is a retired CBI officer, to conduct a thorough inquiry into the matter and submit a detailed report. Once the report is received, we will review the findings and communicate further if required," Satyanarayan said.

The AIFF faced severe criticism after the players received ill-fitting jerseys, forcing the side's senior members to shot off a letter to the federation requesting for proper correctly sized kits.

Asked if the team could have done better, Paul said, "We were hopeful that they would qualify for the World Cup this time.

"Over the last three years, participation and representation in women's football have grown significantly, with the AIFF hosting several women's tournaments, including the ASMITA Women's Leagues, which have played an important role in expanding opportunities for players across the country.

"The match against Chinese Taipei was one of the best performances by the Indian women's national team. Manisha's world-class goal reflected the quality and character within the squad. A penalty against India and two soft goals proved costly.

"The match against Japan showed that at the highest level of international football, defensive organisation must be absolutely watertight.

"Overall, the girls played extremely well †we could have won against Chinese Taipei and even drawn against Vietnam, and this team certainly had the merit to progress to the next round."