New Delhi: In a surprising development, reports in the Indian media suggest that the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is to raid the top Indian clubs for national team players, who will then be made to play nothing but international friendlies until the Asia Cup in 2011.
According to reports, the AIFF has launched an ambitious plan, called "Goal 2011", in which they will select 25 top Indian footballers, who will then not play for any club over the next two seasons.
The list of 25 players will be made by national coach Bob Houghton, and will definitely include all the big names of Indian football, such as Bhaichung Bhutia, Sunil Chhetri, Steven Dias etc.
The plan, which has reportedly been approved by the executive committee, will cost around $8 million, and will be confirmed when the commitee meets on Thursday.
Undisclosed sources are quoted as saying, "This is one of AIFF's most ambitious plans ever, and is likely to cause an uproar among clubs, local associations, and sponsors.
"At the same time, the financial commitment required to make the plan successful is huge. We are not yet sure where the money will come from."
Apparently, it is national team coach Bob Houghton who came up with the idea and has been pushing for it over the last month.
His idea is to provide the national side, which doesn't spend too much time together, to receive extensive and uninterrupted training over the next two years, so that they are well-prepared to take on some of Asia's top sides in 2011.
"Houghton's idea was that the national side should at least play 30 international matches before the Asia Cup, and the only way that could happen is by making the players available exclusively for national duty", said the source.
However, money remains the biggest potential stumbling block for the plan, as each friendly hosted will cost the federation.
The federation will have to match the salaries that they are earning with their clubs at the moment. Also, big sponsors will have to be arranged in order to keep the entire team together for the next two years.
Top AIFF officials are hopeful that the sponsors will be arranged, and acting AIFF President Praful Patel has already promised to do his best for the implementation of this plan.
The reaction that this plan evokes from clubs, state associations, and I-League fans, will however be very interesting to see.
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