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After missing out on the 2018 edition and a last-minute reprieve in 2023, the Indian men’s football team will once again be at the government’s mercy if it wishes to participate in next year’s Asian Games.
On Wednesday, the Sports Ministry issued detailed guidelines for the eligibility of individual athletes and teams for the Aichi-Nagoya Asiad, which will be held from September 19 to October 4, 2026.
As things stand, the football team — ranked 24th in Asia — does not meet the strict criteria, which underlines that only those teams and athletes with medal-winning potential will be considered to represent India at the mega-event.
The sports ministry’s circular, released on Wednesday, stated that the benchmark for team sports like football and hockey and team events like relay, doubles and mixed doubles, will be a top-eight finish at the Asian Championship or a top-eight ranking in the continent.
Point 3 (a) of the guidelines noted: “Where International Rankings are promulgated regularly or Senior Asian Championships held within 12 months preceding the upcoming Asian Games: The NSF will be eligible to nominate a team if either the team achieved a top 8 finish in the last Senior Asian Championships held within 12 months, or the team is ranked within the top 8 among Asian countries in international rankings as of 10 days before submission deadline of the final list by name.”
It added: “Where neither international Rankings are promulgated regularly nor Senior Asian Championships are conducted within 12 months preceding the upcoming Asian Games, but an Equivalent International Competition was held: The team must have secured a top 8 finish among Asian countries in the equivalent international competition.”
The Indian men’s team is currently ranked 134th in the world and 24th in Asia. They exited the Asian Cup in the group stage. The women fare much better continentally, ranked 12th, but still do not meet the ministry’s requirements. However, they can climb up the ladder — or meet the other criteria — by a strong showing at the Asian Cup, to be held in Australia from March 1 to 21.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had refused to grant permission to the men’s team for the 2018 Asian Games on the same grounds that it was not ranked in the top-eight in Asia. At the 2023 Hangzhou Games, too, the football team was initially not given the clearance, but was allowed to compete after the government relaxed the rules at the last minute to accommodate them at the quadrennial event.
Rule 4.2 in the ministry guidelines stated that if ‘the aim is just for participation and not aiming for excellence (medal winning), names of such sportspersons and teams will not be approved after giving proper justification.’
However, Rule 5 may give the football team some hope. The ‘relaxation clause’ noted: “If in the opinion of the experts of specific sports disciplines, and SAI, participation of individuals and teams in relaxation of the above criteria is recommended with justifiable reasons, the same will be considered in the Ministry for appropriate decision.”
India’s men’s team exited in the Round of 16 stage at the 2023 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China. They finished ninth out of the 21 participating nations, with a win and a draw and two losses.
