Injured Gawli unlikely for the Dubai training camp

New Delhi: A 23-member Indian squad without seasoned defender Mahesh Gawli left for Dubai from here on Friday

for a 20-day training camp as part of preparation for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. The players and the seven support staff, including coach Bob Houghton, left the national capital for Dubai around 7 pm from Indira Gandhi International Airport. Gawli, who suffered a hamstring injury in Dempo`s I-League Round 13 match at home against East Bengal on Tuesday, is unlikely to make it to Dubai. Mohun Bagan defender N S Manju, who was not among the 24 players announced on February 1, has been added to the Dubai-bound squad. Manju returned to action last week in an I-League match after lying low with a toe fracture in August last year. Goalkeeper Subrata Pal, who suffered a shoulder injury in Pune FC`s Round 13 I-League match against Mahindra United at home, is also in the squad. Central defender Gouramangi Singh will join the team in Dubai from Abu Dhabi where his side Churchill Brothers take on Al Wahda in the AFC Champions League qualification final play-off tomorrow. The Dubai trip will kick-start the national team`s preparations for the AFC Asian Cup, which will be held in January 2011 in Doha. The side will play at least seven international matches, including two 2014 World Cup qualifiers. The first match on September 4 against Thailand has been confirmed and the AIFF has sent invitation to eight top Asian countries -- Qatar, Kuwait, DPR Korea, China, Oman, Jordan, Bahrain and UAE -- for other four matches. The number of players will be increased to 30 by June end and they will have a training tour of Portugal in July-August. The players can play in the second half of the ongoing third I-League which is likely to end in April. But after that they will not play any domestic tournament till December. PTI