Due to their low ranking, the Indian football team fails to meet the criteria set by the Sports Ministry, which prevents them from participating in the Asian Games.
With the Indian football team facing exclusion from Asian Games participation for the second consecutive season, head coach Igor Stimac has taken a heartfelt approach by writing a plea to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur. Stimac penned a passionate letter, urging the Indian government to grant permission for the team, led by Sunil Chhetri, to compete in the continental event. It was previously reported that the team is unlikely to be sent to the Asian Games due to their current ranking not being among the top 8 sides in Asia.
While the criteria for participation have been set by the Sports Ministry of India, hopes of the government making an exception for the Indian football team have not faded away. Stimac himself has personally requested consideration on the matter.
In a tweet, he expressed, “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.”
The tweet included a lengthy note in which Stimac wrote, “Honourable Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi ji, I am not sure if someone would have briefed you or updated you about the Indian teams participating in the upcoming Asian Games, where the most important and key global sport, ‘football’, team has been deprived from participating and representing the Indian flag.
“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 the 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 on the global stage participating in the most prestigious tournaments. We, as a national team, have worked extremely hard in the last 4 years and achieved some great results, proving that we can accomplish more with support from all stakeholders. Your speech about football and Mbappe in your recent visit to France also touched all Indians dreaming and rooting for Indian football.
“I wanted to bring to your immediate attention that our U-17 team from 2017, which also performed exceptionally well at the U-23 World Cup qualifiers and is a very talented team, is now being deprived of participating in the Asian Games. This team truly needs and deserves the opportunity to participate. The reasons given are unfair, and as India’s national team coach, I felt it was important to promptly inform you and the Hon’ble Sports Minister Anurag Thakur about this matter, so that you could intervene and assist the team in participating in the Asian Games. There are hopes and prayers of 1 billion Indians for the beautiful game, and we need such participation. While our own ministry is denying participation based on rankings, the fact remains that our football team is ranked higher than some other sports teams that have been allowed to participate in the Asian Games. Additionally, history and statistics attest to the fact that football is a sport where lower-ranked teams have the chance to defeat higher-ranked teams.
“So, my humble appeal and sincere request, on behalf of the entire Indian Football fraternity, is for you to kindly allow our football team to participate in the Asian Games. We will fight for our nation’s pride and the flag!”
The Asian Games are scheduled to take place in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8, with the football competitions commencing on September 19.
