Mohun Bagan wants outstation recruits against Bayern Munich

Kolkata, May 20 (UNI) Mohun Bagan has requested the AIFF to release its players from the national camp or allow outstation recruits to play against Bayern Munich at the Salt Lake stadium here on May 27.

India's premier and oldest football club Mohun Bagan has been facing shortage of quality players to field against Bayern Munich.

The May 27 friendly will be Oliver Kahn's last match before he hangs his shoes. Modern soccer's one of the greatest goalkeepers Kahn has already retired from competitive football.

Mohun Bagan secretary Anjan Mitra sent a letter to the All India Football Association (AIFF) seeking to allow outstation players, who had already signed to switch over to Kolkata as soon as inter-state transfer begins, or release their players from the national camp in Goa.

MB wants the AIFF to release Baichung Bhutia, Dipak Mondol, N S Manju and N Mohanraj from the training camp at Goa preparing for the SAFF Cup.

MB has signed on eight Tata Football Academy cadets, and one each from Viva Kerala and Salgaocar. But they will not be able to participate unless inter-state transfer begins on June 3.

However, if the AIFF gives them the nod, they can play for Bagan in the exhibition match against Bayern Munich, Mr Mitra said.

''Either give permission to outstation players or release our national players,'' Mr Mitra wrote to the AIFF.

India is scheduled play a friendly against the Chinese Taipei in Chennai on May 27.

''Unless we get permission to field outstation players it will be very difficult to play against Germany's league champion team,'' Mr Mitra said.

He said the clubs had given release orders to ten recruits but the AIFF rules were preventing them from playing before inter-state transfer signing.

The Indian Football Association (IFA), Bengal's supreme soccer body, secretary Utpal Ganguly said he would take up the matter with the AIFF as the IFA was organising the Bayern Munich match, which has already aroused huge interest among soccer-crazy fans in the city.

Meanwhile, a report stated that Bayern Munich had set off on a nine-day trip of Indonesia and India yesterday. The European club will play the Indonensian national side in Jakarta and after holidaying at Bali, will arrive in India for a three-day tour on May 25 or 26.

UNI PC DPM RKM ND1430