AIFF mulls international tourney

Buoyed by East Bengal's recent success at the ASEAN Cup, the All-India Football Federation is planning a tri-nation tournament in September.

"We are planning this tournament involving two foreign teams as a preparation for the Afro-Asian Games," AIFF president Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi told rediff.com.

The AIFF plans to invite South Korea and Iran, but in case the latter is not available, "a team from a Middle East nation" will be invited.

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The Afro-Asian Games will be held in October. "We can have this tournament in end-September," he said, adding that it will be called the Nehru Series. Matches are being planned at prominent football centers.

Dasmunshi feels the Afro-Asian Games could be postponed if general elections are brought forward to November.

"In such an eventuality, we can shift the tournament to December or January."

The tri-nation is being planned keeping in mind East Bengal's unexpected success at ASEAN Cup last month and the frequent suggestions by former soccer stars that Indian footballers need to play more internationally to lift their game.