All India Football Federation (AIFF), on Wednesday, announced a revised 18-member squad that will represent the Indian Football Team at the upcoming Asian Games.
Bengaluru FC and Indian captain Sunil Chhetri is all set to lead the men's squad that will take part in the competition starting September 19 in Hangzhou, China.
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Two senior players Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Sandesh Jhingan, who were originally named in the squad has been omitted from the final list after they failed to obtain permission from their respective clubs Bengaluru FC and FC Goa.
Indian football team squad in Asian Games
21-man Indian squad: Gurmeet Singh, Dheeraj Singh, Sumit Rathi, Narender Gahlot, Deepak Tangri, Sandesh Jhingan, Chinglensana Singh, Lalchungnunga, Amarjit Singh, Samuel James, Rahul KP, Abdul Rabeeh, Ayush Dev Chhetri, Bryce Miranda, Azfar Noorani, Rahim Ali, Vincy Barreto, Sunil Chhetri (C), Rohit Danu, Gurkirat Singh, Aniket Jadhav.
Defensive reinforcements for #19thAsianGames 🇮🇳
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) September 15, 2023
Jhingan, Chinglensana and Lalchungnunga join the Men's squad ⬆️
More details 👉 https://t.co/Fm8PIesZJN#IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/IcZPXTZYf6
Why are the senior Indian men's team not participating in Asian Games?
Since 2002, football at the Asian Games has been a U23 affair where teams across the continent send their U23 players. Only three overage players are allowed to register for the competition.
AIFF had originally named three overage players Sandesh Jhingan, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Sunil Chhetri in the preliminary squad but Bengaluru FC and FC Goa have refused to release Sandhu and Jhingan respectively as the Asian Games are clashing with the start of India's premier league competition, the Indian Super League (ISL) that starts on September 21.
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Where will the Asian Games be held?
The Asian Games 2022 will be held in Hangzhou, China.
When is football in Asian Games starting?
The football competition in Asian Games starts on September 19 and the final will be held on October 7.
Indian men's team group in Asian Games?
India have been clubbed in Group A in the Asian Games alongside hosts China, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The top two teams from each group and the four best third-placed teams will then qualify for the round of 16.
How to watch the football in Asian Games from India?
Sony Sports Network will broadcast the Asian Games in India. Selected matches will be available to watch on Sony channels and can streamed live via SonyLIV.
