The Indian football team, for the second time in a row, will unlikely participate in the Asian Games 2023. The top eight teams in the continent will participate in the 2023 Asian Games and India does not meet Sports Ministry's criteria of being ranked among the top 8 teams, PTI reported. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) had earlier planned that national senior team head coach Igor Stimac would lead the Under-23 team in the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8, after the King's Cup in Thailand (September 7-10). When it comes to rankings, the Indian football team is nowhere close to the top-8 teams in Asia. India is currently ranked 18th among the countries under the Asian Football Confederation. The AIFF will reportedly appeal to the Sports Ministry to reconsider the decision.


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Since 2002, football in Asia Games has been an U-23 affair and all teams participating in the Asian Games can have players up to 23 years of age. Only three players in each team can be older than this.


As per the PTI report, in a letter sent to Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and all the National Sports Federations (NSFs), the Sports Ministry has said that "for team events, only those sports which have achieved a ranking up to eighth among participating countries of Asia in the last one year should be considered for participation in Asian Games".


AIFF told PTI it will appeal to the sports ministry to reconsider the decision.


"This is a decision taken by the government. So, we have to abide by it. However, we will make an appeal to the government to reconsider the decision as far as football is concerned," AIFF Secretary General Shaji Prabhakaran told PTI.


"The Indian team's performance this year has been extremely encouraging. It will be a great boost for football, especially for the U-23 boys, if they get an opportunity to play in the Asian Games." The IOA had refused to clear the Indian football team for the 2018 Asian Games on the same ground that it was not ranked in the top-8 in Asia.


(With PTI Inputs)