New Delhi, Aug 15 (PTI) Top players like Liston Colaco of Mohun Bagan and Anwar Ali of East Bengal are among 10 footballers from the Kolkata giants who will be reporting late for the senior national camp due to the ongoing Durand Cup where they are representing their respective clubs. Seven players from Mohun Bagan, three from East Bengal, two from Jamshedpur FC and one from North East FC are currently part of the quarter-finals of the Durand Cup.
The Mohun Bagan’s match against East Bengal will be held on Sunday and the losing team is expected to release its players for the camp, while Jamshedpur FC and North East FC too offer a similar scenario.
In case Mohun Bagan goes the distance, then seven of their players will be playing the final on August 23 and hence they won't be available before the last day of the camp.
Also having played a gruelling three-week tourney, they won't be taking any part in the camp if they play the final.
Even four Mohun Bagan players, including striker Suhail Ahmed Bhatt and Dippendu Biswas, are part of India U-23 probables for AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers that will take place from September 3 to 9 in Qatar.
“The Indian Senior Men's National Team began camp from 15 to 25 August, 2025 in Bengaluru for their maiden participation in the CAFA Nations Cup,” AIFF posted on its official 'X' handle.
“The AIFF urges 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 (away & home),” it further stated.
The first match of the four-nation CAFA Championship is against Tajikistan on August 29, which is not a part of the official FIFA window and hence clubs aren't under any obligation to release players.
The upcoming FIFA window runs from September 1-9. Absentees from national camp ======================= Mohun Bagan SG: Anirudh Thapa, Deepak Tangri, Lalengmawia, Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Vishal Kaith, East Bengal: Anwar Ali, Jeakson Singh, Mahesh Singh Naorem From Jamshedpur FC: 1. Manvir Singh 2. Albino Gomes NorthEast United FC: 1. Jithin MS CAFA Schedule: Aug 29: vs Tajikistan; Sep 1: vs IR Iran; Sep 4: vs Afghanistan.
Absentees from U-23 national camp ========================== Jamshedpur FC: Mohammed Sanan K, Nikhil Barla Mohun Bagan SG: Dippendu Biswas, Suhail Ahmad Bhat, Priyansh Dubey, Tekcham Abhishek Singh North East United: Macarton Louis Nickson, Parthib Sundar Gogoi, Huidrom Thoi Singh, Dipesh Chauhan.
This report includes content sourced from Press Trust of India (PTI), edited for clarity and context.
