Jamil decides to move forward without Chhetri

In his first assignment, Khalid Jamil is preparing the national team for the CAFA Nations Cup to be held in Tajikistan later this month

Panaji: The All India Football Federation ( AIFF ) took many by surprise when it publicly announced that 13 players from four clubs had not reported for the CAFA Nations Cup preparatory camp on the opening day in Bengaluru.Newly-appointed coach Khalid Jamil selected 35 probables for the assignment in Tajikistan, but with four clubs – Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Jamshedpur FC and NorthEast United – busy with the Durand Cup knockouts, not everyone was available.An hour later, the AIFF announced the list of 22 players who were attending the camp.In both lists, Sunil Chhetri ’s name was missing.Chhetri, India’s highest goal-scorer and most capped footballer, was coaxed out of international retirement by national team coach Manolo Marquez early this year. He played four matches, but with Jamil now in-charge, it appears that the coach has decided to move forward without the Bengaluru FC striker.Chhetri turned 41 early this month. Khalid is just seven years older, with their playing careers overlapping for six years.The top domestic goal-scorer in last season’s Indian Super League is not the only experienced player who has been left out. Also missing from the probables’ list is Mohun Bagan captain Subhashish Bose, defender Ashish Rai, and Mumbai City midfielder Brandon Fernandes.Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu returns to the national team set-up after being dropped by Manolo.Jamil’s first list of probables was always going to throw a few surprises. The coach didn’t disappoint, picking two Jamshedpur players, Albino Gomes and Manvir Singh, besides Hyderabad FC defender Alex Saji, all of whom are uncapped.The biggest surprise though was Sunil Benchamin, a left-back from Army Red who is currently on an amateur player contract. Last season, Kerala-born Sunil was playing in the third tier of Indian football with Diamond Harbour, helping the team qualify for the I-League.Jamil’s first assignment with the national team will be the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) Nations Cup 2025, where India have games against hosts Tajikistan (Aug 29), Iran (Sept 1), and Afghanistan (Sept 4).“The AIFF appreciates cooperation of Jamshedpur for releasing Khalid Jamil despite an ongoing tournament, a gesture of national interest,” the federation said in a statement . “We urge all clubs to release national team players for this crucial assignment, which also prepares the squad for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers against Singapore.”While 13 senior players are missing from the camp, 10 U-23 players from Mohun Bagan, Jamshedpur, and NorthEast United have also failed to report in Bengaluru as Naushad Moosa’s team prepares for two friendlies against Iraq in Malaysia and the AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers in Qatar.The AIFF has called for "cooperation from all stakeholders."It is unlikely that the clubs will release players before the end of their campaign in the Durand Cup, with the final scheduled for Aug 23.“The clubs are within their rights not to release players for the preparatory camp,” said a senior official. “The international window is from Sept 1-9 and clubs are bound to release players only 48 hours prior to an international assignment.”

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