We are willing to send football team to Asian Games on own cost: AIFF

An utterly helpless All India Football Federation today said it is willing to send the national team to the Asian Games on its own cost while slamming the IOA for not having the "courtesy to officially intimate" them about its decision to not clear the side.

As per the Indian Olympic Association's regulations, only those national teams which are ranked between 1-8 at the continental level, are cleared for the Games.

"I wrote a letter to the IOA explaining our disappointment and unhappiness of this decision without really consulting with us and trying to understand what is happening in football world. If expenses are an issue we are willing to pay for the team's travel and stay," AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said here.

This was a day after the AIFF said the Narinder Batra-led body lacked "vision and competence".

Still wanting to cling on to hope, Das called it an "unfortunate" gathering of scribes at the Football House, on the outskirts of the capital.

"I would like to state and put on record certain facts - firstly we have got no official communication from the IOA about the team's non-participation, it's all been verbal."
"I think it is strange that they did not follow the protocol or the courtesy to at least inform the federation, the basis on which the teams are not being not allowed to participate. No formal communication has ever come from them."
"They just arbitrarily took the decision and did not give us a chance to explain."
Asked about its next step, Das added, "We will make an official representation to the Sports Ministry, we have got a lot of support from the government and SAI (Sports Authority of India). We are hopeful that they would support us on this issue."
"I think I also did not understand the criteria too well. They said (those) who were ranked less than eight in the previous edition, which is four years back (will not be cleared). I don't know whether they are talking about current ranking or the previous Asian Games, it was very, very unclear."
"Finally, I told my president (Praful Patel) to intervene, but strangely there was again no communication from them."