Aussie opponents in disarray

[the_gun]

AS Australia prepare to name their Asian Cup squad later today, their opening opponents India are in disarray ahead of the tournament in Qatar.

India will compete in their first major international tournament in 27 years when they open their campaign against the Socceroos at Al Sadd Stadium on January 10.

Drawn in the strong Group C - which also includes Asian heavyweight South Korea and Bahrain - the 142nd-ranked India's chances of success in Qatar haven't been helped by a tumultuous build-up.

Preparations at the squad's Dubai training camp were thrown into chaos on Friday after team manager Pradip Chowdhury quit and flew back to India due to a fall-out with coach Bob Houghton.

The move left India's players fuming, to the point several vented their anger publicly on the Football Players Association of India (FPAI) website, presided over by injured captain and star player Bhaichung Bhutia.

"At a time when the team needed all the support it could get, its manager left the team,'' Bhutia said.

"This is something we did not really require when we needed to stick together as a family.''

Raul Fernandez, the organiser of the training camp in Dubai, has since been named Chowdhury's replacement.

Injuries to some of the side's best players have also wreaked havoc in the past two months, with several stars left out of the 23-man squad named on Tuesday.

Bhutia, India's most capped and top-scoring player, was included but remains in serious doubt due to a calf injury.

Recent results also don't bode well for India's prospects.

In a tour of the Gulf region last month they were thrashed 9-1 by Kuwait, 6-3 by Yemen and 5-0 by the UAE.

Scheduled friendlies against Qatar and Syria this month were then curiously cancelled, leaving the side worryingly short on match practice prior to the tournament.

India's last appearance at a major tournament came at the 1984 Asian Cup in Singapore. They qualified for 2011 event by winning the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008.

The Socceroos have not faced India since 1956, when Australia lost 7-1 in Sydney in a post-Olympic friendly match.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/aussi ... 5977217746

[Red-4-Life]

Good news for the Socceroos i guess, no excuse to not put a few past them now.