Indian football team miss out on Asian games after Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) decision to not change the rules of the participation.
Moreover, both Men’s (Rank 18th) and Women’s (Rank 11th) teams will not be participating in the Asian games as they are not in the top eight-ranked sides in Asia. Moreover, Indian football fans asked the Ministry of Sports to allow for some leeway.
Men’s team coach Igor Stimac even asked help from Narendra Modi on this topic. But now it seems like things will remain the same. India won the SAFF Championship in Bengaluru by defeating teams like Kuwait and Lebanon, but they will be shocked after this denial.
This is not the first time that the Indian football team has been denied to participate in the Asian Games. Similar thing also happened in 2018, when they were not allowed to participate due to their ranking outside the top eight in Asia.
Indian football team not allowed to participate in Asian games yet again
A statement from IOA said, “As we gear up for the highly anticipated event, scheduled to take place in Hangzhou, China the IOA reaffirms its commitment to promoting excellence in sports by strictly adhering to the selection criteria formulated by the Government of India vide their letter dated 10th July 2023.”
“The adherence to these norms aims to foster a culture of transparency, meritocracy, and excellence in the Indian sports ecosystem.”
The statement continued, “In team events, the focus will be on selecting sports that have achieved a top 8 ranking in Asia in the last one year preceding the Asian Games. This approach will guarantee that team sports with a proven track record of excellence and competitiveness in the region get the opportunity to represent India.”
The Indian men’s and women’s football teams will have to miss out on participating in the 2023 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China.
