The Indian football squad travelled from Bengaluru to London in the wee hours of Sunday with just 18 players to participate in the Unity Cup. FC Goa goalkeeper Hrithik Tiwari will take a later flight.

Coach Khalid Jamil was dealt a big blow after Mohun Bagan Super Giant on Saturday withdrew their players from the camp.

In the preliminary list announced by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), eight players — Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, Lalengmawia ‘Apuia’ Ralte, Sahal Abdul Samad, Anirudh Thapa, Abhishek Singh, goalkeeper Vishal Kaith and Suhail Bhat — of Mohun Bagan were included. Apuia was ruled out due to injury.

To make matters worse for Khalid, Anwar Ali of East Bengal and Ashique Kuruniyan of Bengaluru FC were also out due to injuries.

The AIFF waited until 3.30pm on Saturday to see whether Bagan management allowed their players to travel, but since this did not happen, the federation decided to send 18 players as of now.

India will face Jamaica on May 27, while Nigeria take on Zimbabwe on May 26. The winners will play the final on May 30, with the losing sides featuring in the third-place playoff.

Sources said the AIFF had informed the clubs about the national team’s commitment as early as the second week of April. Bagan, earlier this week, told the parent body that they would release the players only during the Fifa international match window (June 1-9).

“Bagan players were told by their club on Saturday not to participate in the evening’s training session and return to their base as early as possible,” an AIFF source said.

AIFF SGM

The AIFF on Saturday approved the adoption of the National Sports Governance Act but deferred the decision on picking a new commercial partner for the ISL during its special general body meeting held in the city.