Faced with the daunting task of playing against much stronger opponents in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers next year, India's football coach, Stephen Constantine, said the players' pre occupation with the National Football League could affect India's preparations for the event.
Constanstine said he would have preferred to have a "sufficiently long camp" to fine-tune the players but is not sure whether it could be possible with most of the top players busy with the NFL.
"I would have preferred a sufficiently long preparation camp for the team but I know I may have to make compromises due to the National Football League," Constantine said in Delhi on Wednesday.
India are drawn in Group III along with Asian champions Japan, highly-rated Oman and Singapore for the home and away matches.
Japan will host India on June 9. The Japanese team, coached by Brazilian superstar Zico will be in India next September to play the away match.
Despite the tough group, Constantine said there is no point worrying about Japan as India would have otherwise drawn either South Korea or Iran.
"We [India] come in the third rung of eight teams in Asia. So we would have any way been clubbed with one of the top eight teams. If not Japan, it would have been South Korea or Iran or Uzbekistan," Constantine said.
The Anglo-Cypriot coach, who won the AFC Coach of the Month award in October, is already a talking point in Japan and reports say India could pose a few problems when they play the hosts.
The winners of the eight preliminary groups will progress to the final round from where the top four teams will qualify. The fifth-placed team will go into a play-off.
Constantine, who is in Delhi to spot talent from the Subroto Cup, said he has identified six players who will come into the reckoning for a place in the national under-17 squad which qualified for the Asia Cup final round in Japan.
"We need more such tournaments around the country to groom talent," he said after congratulating Binodh K Jamatia, captain of Kabiraj Tilla High School, for advancing to the semi-finals.
Constantine also said the new agreement with Portugal, which has agreed to train three youngsters for three months every year, will give Indians the much-needed feel of European Football.
However, he did not agree with the view that the spread of Futsal, a form of indoor football played between small sized teams, will help much in the development of Indian football.
"It is difficult to change from Futsal to a big field. I do not want the under-17 players to play Futsal. Instead, I want them to pick up more skills playing in the big field."
Constantine also scotched rumours that he may relinquish the coaching job before the end of his three-year contract.
"I have signed a three-year contract with the All India Football Federation. And I think any one would like to complete their contract. I do not know from where this talk originated," he said.
Looking back at his stint, at the halfway stage after 18 months, Constantine said "the results speak for themselves".
The 41-year-old Anglo-Cypriot led India to a silver medal in the inaugural Afro-Asian Games and the LG Cup triumph in Vietnam last year. He also inspired the under-18 team to victory in the Ian Rush Trophy in August.
