India football national team is not participating in the Asian Games 2022 for the second consecutive time due to not meet the Sports Ministry’s criteria.
In a letter sent to Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and all the National Sports Federations (NSFs), the Sports Ministry has said that “for team events, only those sports which have achieved a ranking up to eighth among participating countries of Asia in the last one year should be considered for participation in Asian Games” Which India is currently in ranked 18th among countries under the Asian Football Confederation.
It’s given rise to an ironic situation where the All India Football Federation (AIFF), which is headed by Kalyan Chaubey, will hope for some leniency from the Indian Olympic Association, of which he is the acting CEO and the joint secretary. The AIFF will also hope that the government grants an exemption to their rule.
The AIFF had shortlisted 40 players for the tournament, which is meant for Under-23 players with 3 allowed in the squad above the specified age, and put senior coach Igor Stimac in charge of the team.
The AIFF said it will appeal to the Sports Ministry to reconsider the decision and AIFF general secretary Shaji Prabhakaran seemed confident that the team would get a nod from the IOA.
Source : Indianexpress
Credit Photo : AIFF
