Asserting his authority in the backdrop of reports that he is unhappy with the 'imposition' of a selection committee, chief national football coach Stephen Constantine said he will have the last word in deciding the final squads for the upcoming LG Cup in Vietnam and pre-World Cup match against Japan.
"I have nothing against the selectors. The AIFF has done what it has thought fit. But regarding the players, my decision is final," Constantine told newspersons in Kolkata after the first training session of the ongoing camp for national probables.
Apart from Constantine, the committee comprises Brahmanand Shankwalkar, Henry Menezes, Prasun Banerjee and V P Sathyan, with AIFF president P R Dasmunsi being an ex-officio member.
India begin their campaign in the LG Cup, which they won in 2002, on August 22, before hosting Japan in Kolkata on September 8.
In an apparent sign that he did not attach too much importance to the selection committee, Constantine said, "I consider the coaches of the 12 National League teams as my selectors. I maintain regular touch with five or six of them. They keep me informed."
Asked about the players in the camp who were chosen by the four selectors, Constantine said, "They will undergo the trials. If they click, they will be selected. It's a fair game.
Constantine also refused to attach any significance to the controversy about selector and former India international Prasun Banerjee leaving the SAI ground in anguish after waiting for three hours.
"Did anyone ask me whether I'd practice yesterday? I wasn't aware of anything. I'm going according to my schedule," the 41-year-old Anglo-Cypriot said.
On the sharp criticism he has been facing following the dismal show of the Indian team recently, Constantine replied, "We had only two bad games in the last two years. We failed in the match against Oman badly and the hurt remains. But in the Japan match we were outclassed."
India went down 1-5 to Oman and 0-7 to Japan in the last two pre-World Cup outings.
Constantine, however, exuded confidence that such miserable performances would not be repeated and claimed that much of the present criticism could be attributed to the good performance of the team in the last two years that has raised expectations.
"The problem is we have done well in the last two years. We won the LG Cup, and did well in the Asian Games and Afro Asian Games. We also drew 1-1 with Singapore, against whom India had lost 1-7 in 1995. But no one seems to remember this," he said.
Constantine, who took over the reins of the Indian team in mid-2002, argued that football standards in the country had not yet reached the stage where the national team could be expected to get unmitigated success.
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