Kolkata: Neymar Junior’s race with Brazil has been run but Vinicius Jr could be in action at Salt Lake stadium. Maybe even skipper Marquinhos. With Carlo Ancelotti in the dug-out.
Five-time football world champions Brazil have confirmed a first-ever visit to India where they will play the Indian national team on October 3. Ranked fifth in the world, Brazil will be the highest ranked opponents India (138th in FIFA rankings) have ever played.
The announcement was made by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Brazilian federation CBF on Thursday evening.
“On October 3, the National Team will take the field for the first time on Indian soil, at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata,” CBF said on X. “It will be a special encounter with a country that hosts the largest international fanbase of the Brazilian National Team and that, for generations, has followed the history of Brazilian football with immense affection and passion. We are eager to live this moment alongside millions of Indian fans!”
“A date for the history books. India vs Brazil FIFA International Friendly at Salt Lake Stadium on October 3,” said AIFF in its social media post.
The federation decided to send a separate squad for the first FIFA ASEAN Cup in Indonesia scheduled between September 24 and October 3. India teams’ training schedule for the friendly against Brazil and the FIFA ASEAN Cup will be decided in consultation with ISL clubs, an AIFF official said. Scheduled to start on September 4, ISL could be deferred till after the international window which ends on October 6, the official said. Not authorised to speak to the media, the official requested anonymity.
Brazil will travel to Kolkata after two matches against Australia on September 25 and 29. “Efforts are on to make at least one, if not two, practice sessions which the public can see,” said an AIFF official. Satyanarayan Muthyalu, the AIFF deputy secretary-general, said it would be a “landmark chapter” in the sport in India. National team director and former India goalie Subrata Paul said, “experience like these challenge players to grow.”
India’s women’s team played Brazil in a four-nation friendly tournament in Manaus in 2021 — Manisha Kalyan scoring a fabulous goal in that match — but Thursday’s announcement came after months of negotiations led by AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, said another official. “It is not easy to get a team to agree to play India in India.”
In an interview with a Brazilian broadcaster, Ancelotti said that beginning with this tour, he will look for new players who can replace Casemiro, Neymar Jr and Danilo. “The idea is to change, to bring in a new generation.”
Kolkata’s tryst with Brazil began with Pele and New York Cosmos playing a 2-2 draw with Mohun Bagan in 1977. Pele returned in 2015 but it is only now that the Selecao will feature at the iconic football amphitheatre where against Venezuela in 2011, Lionel Messi led Argentina for the first time.
