Date:27/06/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/27/stories/2008062756191800.htm

Sport - Football

Indian team trains for Portugal tour

NEW DELHI: Beating the intense humid condition on Thursday, the Indian football team continued with its training at the Ambedkar Stadium here in the run-up to the three practice matches in Portugal.

The camp, which started on Wednesday, will continue till a team of 27 players leaves for Portugal on July 2 or 3. India, which lost to Maldives in the final of the SAFF Cup recently, will have to tackle the injury worries during the short tour to the European country as two key players of the side — Steven Dias and Sandeep Nandy — are doubtful for the tour.

During the energy-sapping one-and-a-half-hour training session, India coach Bob Houghton kept a close eye on the proceeding as the players went through warm-up exercises and dribbling for 40 minutes, flank attack for half-an-hour and 15 minutes of short passing.

Captain of the side and ace striker, Bhaichung Bhutia, however, restricted himself to warm-up exercises and light training because of a shoulder pain. The national camp will resume on July 16 for the preparations for the AFC Cup, to be held in Hyderabad from July 30th to August 10. — Sports Reporter