Sunil Chhetri, Sandeep Jhingan, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu Named In Asian Games 2023

The first-choice goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, veteran defender Sandesh Jhingan, and talisman Sunil Chhetri were chosen on Tuesday to the 22-person Indian men’s football team for the upcoming Asian Games 2023. 

Igor Stimac, head coach of the national senior team, will oversee the Indian team in Hangzhou, China, the Games‘ host city.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF), coached by 1998 Croatian World Cup semi finalist Stimac and led by Chhetri, was confident about sending its first squad to the Asian Games, according to a previous report from PTI news agency. 

It is known that the Asian Games organizers and the Olympic Council of Asia have given their blessing to this Indian team.

According to the sports ministry’s requirement that teams be sent that are ranked in the top-8 on the continent, the participation of the Indian men’s and women’s football teams in the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023 was previously in doubt. 

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Following an appeal from the AIFF, the ministry later approved both teams by lowering the requirements. Additionally, head coach Stimac asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get involved.

The men’s Indian squad is grouped in Group A with the hosts China PR, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. There are 23 teams total, and they are split up into six groups. While Group D only contains three teams, Groups A, B, C, E, and F each have four teams.

India, a two-time champion at the Asian Games, is taking part in the continental games’ football competition for the first time in its nine-year history. 

Football is an Under-23 sport at the Asian Games, but because of the one-year delay in organizing this edition of the competition, the organizers have permitted participants who are 24 years old, with the cut-off date of birth set at January 1, 1999.

The national football team would attend the Asian Games after skipping the Jakarta 2018 competition.