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Journalism of Courage
Back in 2014, the last time India was a part of the Asian Games football programme, then coach Wim Koevermans had named a 30-member squad for a three-week camp before the team set out for Incheon. That outfit would be part of a three-team group comprising the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. After weeks of preparations, that Indian team conceded seven goals in two games, scored none and returned after failing to negotiate a tough group.
Nine years later, only one member of that group is part of the national team in Hangzhou. Sunil Chhetri was one of the three senior players that went to Incheon and is now part of the current ragtag squad heading to China.
The Asian Games taking place in September has hampered no other sport in India like football. Scheduled during the Indian Super League (ISL), AFC Champions League and AFC Cup, a player selection nightmare unfolded over the past few weeks – one that has seen countless negotiations, chopping and changing. Even now, five of the 22 players named in the squad are not near Hangzhou and will miss the first game against China on Tuesday.
In a way, India’s first game is almost a write-off even before 11 players take to the pitch. In a media interaction before flying out of New Delhi, head coach Igor Stimac made it clear that China was not a priority simply because of the circumstances surrounding the Indian team leading up to the game.
“I am not thinking about the China game, I’m thinking of Bangladesh and Myanmar. This Chinese team has been playing together for some time. They will play in a 4-4-2 formation and they have a tower of a striker, they will be a very, very tough opposition. We need to consider if we want to invest our full energy into this game or skip it,” said Stimac.
As of now, that strategy seems sound. India will only have two defenders available for selection and even if all 22 members were available, they would have found this game hard considering the sheer imbalance of the squad. Not provided most of his preferred players for this tournament, Stimac has had to take whatever players were released by ISL clubs. He will have two central midfield options throughout the tournament – one of whom was playing in the third division of Indian football for East Bengal’s B team.
Central midfield and fullbacks are two positions where Stimac will feel the pinch most. He admitted it in the press conference as well and listed off the names of players he had asked to be included in the squad. Players like Jeakson Singh and Suresh Wangjam – both in and around the senior national team – and fullbacks like Akash Mishra and Ashish Rai.
But as has been the case for Indian football at the Asian Games, the national team was simply not given priority. Stimac has said that Chhetri and Jhingan will be most likely rested against China but matters have changed since then owing to five players not making it to Hangzhou.
The one silver lining is the group India is in. While China may be a step too far, the games against Bangladesh and Myanmar should be winnable. The top two teams from each group go through, while four third-placed teams join them in the pre-quarters. That math favours India, but going by the sheer hopelessness that has pervaded every step of the lead-up, even getting out of this group shouldn’t be taken for granted.
