Veteran striker Sunil Chhetri is the only notable face in the 17-member Indian squad for the Hangzhou Asian Games. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has managed to put together a second-string team, but there are still doubts about whether head coach Igor Stimac will accompany the team. Most clubs have been unwilling to release the 22 players named in the Indian squad due to clashes between the Asian Games’ football competition schedule and the Indian Super League (ISL), which starts on September 21.
This situation could be seen as a significant loss of face for AIFF president and BJP leader Kalyan Chaubey, who had put a lot of effort into convincing the ministry to allow the team to participate in the Asian Games despite not meeting the government criteria. After lengthy negotiations, the AIFF was able to announce an under-strength team consisting of nine players from the original 22, including Sunil Chhetri, with the remaining spots filled by inexperienced players from various clubs. However, there are doubts as to whether Stimac will travel to Hangzhou with such an under-strength team, even though he had previously stated that the Asian Games were a priority.
This situation is rare for India, as it is uncommon for the country to send an under-strength football team to a major competition. The inclusion of Sunil Chhetri, the current Indian football poster boy who recently became a father, is the only saving grace. The national federation was able to assemble the team just three days before their departure for China and expressed gratitude to the Indian Super League clubs and the FSDL for coordinating with them to release players.
The Indian team is set to begin its Asian Games campaign with a match against China on September 19, followed by games against Bangladesh on September 21 and Myanmar on September 24. The top two teams from each of the six groups will advance to the pre-quarterfinals, along with the four best-ranked third-placed teams. The football team did not meet the qualifying criteria to be part of the Asian Games contingent but received clearance from the sports ministry on the condition that the best side would be selected, including Chhetri, key defender Sandesh Jhingan, and goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
However, the ISL clubs had other plans and refused to release their players, as doing so would mean missing three to four matches. The clubs are not obligated to release players as the Asian Games do not fall within the FIFA international match window. The AIFF had hoped that the ISL clubs would release at least 22 players from the registered 50 for the Asian Games, allowing the senior men’s team to participate in the continental showpiece. Unfortunately, this has not been the case.
The under-strength team has only two goalkeepers instead of the usual three in a 22-member squad, which could pose a problem if there are any injuries during the tournament. Additionally, the team will have to choose 10 outfield players from a pool of 16, and further injuries could limit the number of substitutions available, resulting in players having to stay on the field for extended periods of time.
Of the original 22 players, Bengaluru FC released only Sunil Chhetri. In the absence of Bengaluru’s Gurpreet, the Indian goal will be guarded by either Gurmeet Singh or Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem. East Bengal, which had two players in the earlier squad, did not have any players in the final team. Mumbai City FC and Mohun Bagan each have one player, Gurkirat Singh and Sumit Rathi respectively, representing the Indian squad.
Many of the players in the final team have not played a significant number of matches for their respective clubs in the ISL and have not been regular first XI players. This lack of experience at the top level could pose challenges for the team in the Asian Games.
The 17-member Indian squad for the Hangzhou Asian Games includes 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, and Aniket Jadhav.
