The Indian men’s team has been grouped alongside China, Bangladesh and Myanmar while Thailand in women’s for the upcoming Asian Games.
The Indian men’s football platoon has been conjoined with China, Bangladesh, and Myanmar for the Hangzhou Asian Games in a fairly easy Group A, while the women have Thailand and Chinese Taipei in Group B.
The draw was conducted then on Thursday.
The Indian men’s and women’s football brigades ’ participation at the quadrennial circus was verified after the Sports Ministry decided to relax the being selection criteria.
There are six groups in the men’s competition. The top two brigades from each group and four stylish third- placed brigades will advance to the round of 16.
As far as the women’s competition is concerned, the top platoon from each group and the three stylish alternate- placed brigades will progress to the quarterfinals.
India enjoyed success in men’s football in the Asian Games, winning gold in the initial edition in 1951 and repeating the feat in 1962.
The Indian Olympic Association( IOA) had earlier refused to clear the Indian football brigades for the Games on the ground that they weren’t ranked in the top- 8 in Asia.
The All India Football Federation( AIFF) also made an appeal to the Sports Ministry to allow the two sides to take part in the prestigious event with public elderly platoon head trainer Igor Stimac also seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention.
Since 2002, football in the Asian Games has been anU-23 affair with three players above that age being permitted in a platoon.
The All India Football Federation( AIFF) had made an appeal to the Sports Ministry to allow the men’s and women’s platoon, ranked 18th and 11th, to share in the Asian Games on the reverse of their emotional caching in recent months.
The Indian platoon will now play in the Asian Games for the first time since 2014 after the same criteria had ruled it out of the 2018 Games in Jakarta.
Still, in this edition of the Games the 24- time-old players are also eligible to play because of the one- time holdback of the Games owing to rising COVID cases in China last time.
Stager striker Sunil Chhetri, first- choice goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and star protector Sandesh Jhingan are set to be part of the Indian men’s platoon as the threeover-age players.
With lower- ranked Myanmar and Bangladesh in its group, the Indian men’s platoon will be anticipated to progress to the coming round of the competition, while the women will also fancy their chances.
For the 2022 Asian Games, the date of birth cut off was January 1, 1999, and this cut off will remain, the organisers had decided in February. Also three overage players will be allowed to play in the football competition of the mega event.
The Indian men’s platoon presently occupies the 18th spot among countries under the Asian Football Confederation, while the women’s side is ranked 11th.
The Indian men’s platoon has entered thesub-100 club in the FIFA rankings formerly again, having won the SAFF Championship where it played against Lebanon and Kuwait. This time it also won the Intercontinental Cup and the tri-nation football event featuring Kyrgyz Republic and Myanmar.
The women’s platoon has also done well, beating Kyrgyzstan doubly in the Olympic Qualifiers Round 1.
The Asian Games will be held from September to October 8 but the football event starts on September 19, with the final listed for the penultimate day of the Games. Know More latest Football News…
