The Indian women’s football team’s preparations ahead of its historic AFC Women’s Asian Cup appearance hit a snag as it was provided with ill-fitted training kits. The team, which will play its opener against Vietnam on Wednesday, wrote a letter to All India Football Federation (AIFF) deputy secretary general M Satyanarayan asking the body to intervene in the matter urgently.“…This tournament marks our return to a major continental competition after 23 years and is a significant moment for Indian women’s football. Unfortunately, on Matchday Minus 2, when the training and match jerseys arrived via cargo, we discovered a serious issue. The kits supplied are not fit for purpose. The sizes appear to have been manufactured for Under-15 or smaller athletes and do not fit at least 80 % of the 26-players squad. The coaching staff kits are also incorrectly sized,” the letter signed by eight players, including team captain Sweety Devi Ngangbam said.“Over the past few days, players and staff have already faced challenges due to the lack of appropriate clothing during preparation. The arrival of incorrect match kits at this crucial stage has further affected morale and disrupted our focus in the final days leading up to the match,” the letter added.The AIFF has now scrambled to acquire new kits from the Australia-based apparel company Macron.“We have already acquired both the training and match kits for the squad from Australia. It was an unfortunate situation,” Satyanarayan told The Tribune on Tuesday.“We were in discussion with a premier sports brand but that never materialised as they thought that they needed more time to supply the kits. Then we got another brand from South India and also paid them the shipping charges to send it via cargo but unfortunately they did not supply the right sizes,” he added.Meanwhile, the Indian team is ready to take on Vietnam in Perth on Wednesday. Chief coach Amelia Valverde called the match a new beginning for the team.“There are no coincidences in life, though, and we are back here again with a chance to prove ourselves. This is a new opportunity for us to represent our team in the best possible manner,” the Costa Rican said.“We have worked very hard in the last few weeks, and the motivation is high within the team to get the best possible result for India,” she added.Results at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup are very crucial as the four semifinalists will gain direct entry to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027. The four losing quarterfinalists will compete in a playoff to determine the two remaining direct qualifiers from Asia. The remaining two teams will proceed to the intercontinental playoffs.