No Indian football at Asian Games

The 2018 FIFA World Cup does not feature India but there is a lot of interest surrounding the mega event in Russia. India has never played in any of the World Cup Finals till date and there is no bright hope of making it to the upcoming editions in Qatar in 2022 and the next one in the Americas.

Forget the World Cup, India, which once was a force to reckon in Asia has slipped down the ladder after winning the Asian Games titles in 1951 and 1962 and bronze medal at the 1970 Games.

Currently the 'Blue Tigers', currently ranked 14th in Asia, have turned to be the whipping boys of Asian giants like Japan, Iran, South Korea- the teams which featured in the ongoing edition of the World Cup.

But of late, thanks to the All India Football Federation smart move to utilize the loopholes in the ranking system and a string of good performances in international matches, India have jumped from 173 to 97 in a couple of years.

But the records and rankings have no effect on the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) when it came to clear the football teams for the Asian Games in Indonesia. 

IOA has chosen not to clear Indian Football Teams for the forthcoming Asian Games.

ft that happens, it will be the first time since the 1994 Hiroshima edition that an Indian team is set to miss the football competition of the Asian Games, which is a U-23 event with three over-age players being allowed.

As per IOA regulations, only those national teams which are ranked between 1-8 at the continental level, are cleared for the Games.

But there is a ray of hope with AIFF willing to send the national team to the Asian Games on its own cost – but IOA will have to approve the move.

"I wrote a letter to the IOA explaining our disappointment and unhappiness of this decision without really consulting with us and trying to understand what is happening in football world. If expenses are an issue we are willing to pay for the team's travel and stay," AIFF general secretary Kushal Das has told Times of India.

The current season is crucial year for the Indian men's team, as it has qualified for the marquee Asian Cup after a gap of eight years, having last played in 2011.

The IOA decision not to clear Indian Football Teams for the forthcoming Asian Games has not gone well with the AIFF which argue that:  “Indian Olympic Association that Football as a global sport needs to be looked at differently, and after having explained the tremendous success that Indian Football has achieved in the last three years which include a jump in FIFA Rankings from 173 to 97 (at present), qualification to the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, the successful hosting of FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 and the various grassroots and youth developmental programmes undertaken by the AIFF,” the national football governing body said in a press release.

The AIFF said that “IOA lacks the vision and competence to understand that Football is a global sport played by 212 countries and that the top 5 teams in Asia play in the FIFA World Cup where the level of competition is far superior to the Asian Games.

The AIFF argues that the “premier football competition in Asia is the AFC Asian Cup where India has qualified after 8 years.”

“IOA’s stance and myopic view comes in sharp contrast to the support of both the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and Sports Authority of India, both of whom who have been hugely supportive of Indian Football and recognised AIFF’s efforts in the last 3 years,” it said.

On the other hand, IOA is unable to distinguish the specific needs of each sport in the country and has never even bothered to even once discuss with the AIFF the strategy and plans for developing football in India.