Amidst scheduling clashes with the Indian Super League (ISL), which kicks off on September 21, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has managed to assemble a second-string 17-member squad for the Hangzhou Asian Games. Sunil Chhetri, the stalwart of Indian football, is the standout name on the team. Notably, many ISL clubs were reluctant to release their players for the Asian Games, resulting in a significant setback for AIFF president and BJP leader, Kalyan Chaubey.
It remains uncertain whether head coach Igor Stimac will guide this under-strength team in Hangzhou. Previously, Stimac had marked the Asian Games as a priority for the national side. Despite the challenges, the national federation was able to compile a team just three days before their departure to China, expressing gratitude to the ISL clubs and the FSDL for their coordination.
The newly-formed team will embark on their Asian Games journey against China on September 19, followed by matches against Bangladesh and Myanmar on September 21 and September 24 respectively.
Qualification hopes lie in the top two teams from each of the six groups, along with four top-ranked third-place finishers.
While the football team didn't originally meet the qualifying criteria for the Asian Games, they were granted clearance by the sports ministry, especially with the inclusion of prominent figures such as Chhetri, defender Sandesh Jhingan, and goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
The refusal by ISL clubs to release players poses a significant challenge as the Asian Games doesn’t coincide with the FIFA international match window. The team's composition is especially precarious in the goalkeeping department, with just two goalkeepers on board, potentially leading to complications if injuries arise.
Bengaluru FC, initially contributing six players, now only offers Chhetri, while traditional clubs like East Bengal, Mumbai City FC, and Mohun Bagan have minimal representation. Notably, many of these players aren't regular starters for their respective ISL clubs.
The Indian Squad: Gurmeet Singh, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, Sumit Rathi, Narender Gahlot, Amarjit Singh Kiyam, Samuel James, Rahul KP, Abdul Rabeeh Anjukandan, Ayush Dev Chhetri, Bryce Miranda, Azfar Noorani, Rahim Ali, Vincy Bareto, Sunil Chhetri, Rohit Danu, Gurkirat Singh, Aniket Jadhav.
(Inputs from PTI, powered by AI)
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