AIFF should have been discussed before barring Indian teams from Asian Games

All India Football Federation (AIFF) General Secretary Kushal Das has said that Indian Olympic Association (IOA) should have discussed with the federation before taking the decision of not sending the senior football teams for the 2018 Asian Games.

"IOA should have at least discussed with us before making such decision to know our plans and strategies. This would have been a good experience for the Under-23 team. It's sad that such decision has been taken," Das said.

He further said that they did not get any official communication from the IOA and that only verbal communication happened between them regarding the same.

The General Secretary further expressed his disappointment at the decision and asked for a reason behind the same.

Das further added that if the move is a result of senior teams' performances in the last four years then it is "absurd" as the teams have been playing really well from last few years.

"If the decision is based on performance four years back then it's absurd. From last 2-3 years, India has improved very significantly. Our ranking has jumped to 97 and we have recently won Intercontinental Cup. We have even qualified for the Asian Cup," he said.

Yesterday, AIFF faced a major setback as the IOA opted not to clear the Indian men's and women's football teams for Asian Games since they have deemed them "incompetent" to win any medals.

Asian Games are slated to be held from August 18 to September 2 in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia.