India will be playing Nepal in an international friendly at the Andheri Sports Complex in Mumbai on June 6, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced on Friday.
Nepal come in as a replacement for Lebanon, which had pulled out of a friendly at the last moment citing visa issues.
India have made rapid strides in the last two years, jumping 73 places in the FIFA Rankings since March 2015. The giant leap has taken India to their best-ever ranking of 100 in 21 years.
"With Lebanon pulling out at the 11th hour, our preparations had suffered a jolt. It was disappointing but at the same time the situation was beyond our control. It was just so hard to find a replacement as all other Teams had already finalised their schedule. But thanks to my colleagues in the AIFF, we managed to rope in a team at such a short notice and that's highly commendable," India chief coach Stephen Constantine said.
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"I need to thank the Nepal FA for accepting our request. Personally, I have huge respect for Nepalese people and we look forward to a great match," Constantine added.
--IANS
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