Nabi responds to mysterious omission from India squad

[caption id=“attachment_1013171” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Nabi leaves for his trial with DC United on 15 September, right after the SAFF Cup. AFP[/caption] He’s the All India Football Federation’s Player of the Year. He is fit. He is training with the IMG-R league players at Cooperage in Mumbai. He is slated for a trial with MLS club DC United in September. But, Syed Rahim Nabi is not in the 20-member team picked by Wim Koevermans for the Tajikistan friendly on 14 August. Koevermans announced his squad yesterday, and two high-profile names missing from the team were Nabi and Subrata Pal. While Pal’s exclusion can be explained after his dip in form, Nabi’s is quite a mystery. Initial reports suggested that AIFF Team Director Shubankar Mukherjee said Nabi was not fit. However, the AIFF later issued a release saying that Mukherjee had been misquoted. Nabi himself confirmed in a New Indian Express report that he was fine: “I have been training under Trevor Morgan and have had no issues with fitness. I am in good shape. I will work hard and hope to run out in the national jersey at the SAFF Championships.” Nabi leaves for his trial with DC United on 15 September, right after the SAFF Cup. Koevermans had said earlier that he thinks the IMG-R league is the ‘biggest threat’ to Indian football — a statement quickly retracted by the AIFF in a press release — but it seems his decision to leave out India’s star player is one that comes as proof of his beliefs about the IMG-R league. According to the current standoff between I-League clubs and the AIFF, those who play in the IMG-R tournament will not be able to take part in the I-League (and vice-versa), which prompted Koevermans to say that to be picked for the national side, it was compulsory to play regular football — which only the I-League can provide. Here’s the squad for the Tajikistan friendly Goalkeepers: Karanjit Singh, S Nandy, S Roychowdhury; Defenders: D Franco, N Chettri, A Mondal, Gouramangi Singh, R Gaikwad, G Kumar; Midfielders: M Hossain, L Ralte, A Izumi, LRodriguez, Jewel Raja, F Fernandes, S Malsawmtluanga, Clifford Miranda; Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh, Dawson Fernandes.