Indian men's football team head coach, Igor Stimac made a plea to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, urging them to allow the Under-23 side to participate in the upcoming Asian Games. The football tournament is scheduled to take place in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8.
In a statement on Monday, Stimac expressed his concern about the exclusion of the Indian football team from the Asian Games, despite the significant investments made in developing a promising new generation of players since hosting the U-17 FIFA World Cup in 2017. Stimac highlighted the Prime Minister's continuous support for India's aspirations to participate in the FIFA World Cup, and emphasised the hard work and achievements of the national team in recent years.
The coach specifically drew attention to the U-17 team, which performed admirably in the U-23 World Cup qualifiers and is considered a talented group. He stressed the team's deservingness and the unjust reasons given for their exclusion from the Asian Games. The coach appealed to the Prime Minister and the Sports Minister to intervene and ensure the team's participation in the tournament, citing the hopes and prayers of a billion Indians for the progress of Indian football.
During the weekend, reports emerged stating that the Indian football team is unlikely to participate in the Asian Games for the second consecutive time as the team does not meet the Sports Ministry's criteria of being ranked among the top-8 sides in the continent. India is currently ranked 18th among nations associated with the Asian Football Confederation. The AIFF, however, said it will appeal to the Sports Ministry to reconsider the decision.
“India hosted the U-17 FIFA World Cup in 2017 and invested heavily in building a very fine new generation of players. You have always supported India's dream of playing in FIFA World Cup one day and I am certain that if we have your continuous support in the manner we have received till date, the day is not far when we will be at the global stage participating in the most prestigious tournaments. We as a national team have worked extremely hard in the last 4 years and managed some great results, proving that we can achieve more if we get the support from all stakeholders,” Stimac wrote in the tweet.
“I wanted to bring to your immediate attention that our U-17 team from 2017, which also gave a great performance at the U-23 World Cup qualifiers and is one very talented team, is now being deprived from participating in the Asian games. This team really needs and deserves the participation.
“The reasons given are unjust and as India's national team coach, I felt it's important to immediately bring this matter to your and the Hon'ble Sports Minister Anurag Thakur's knowledge. So that you could intervene and help the team participate in the Asian Games,” he added.
Stimac emphasised that the football team's ranking should not be a deterrent to their participation, as lower-ranked teams often have the potential to defeat higher-ranked opponents in football. He concluded his message with a appeal and sincere request on behalf of the entire Indian football fraternity, pledging to fight for the nation's pride and honor.
A humble appeal and sincere request to Honourable Prime Minister Sri @narendramodi ji and Hon. Sports Minister @ianuragthakur, to kindly allow our football team to participate in the Asian games
— Igor Štimac (@stimac_igor) July 17, 2023
We will fight for our nation’s pride and the flag!
Jai Hind!#IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/wxGMY4o5TN