Page 2 - Indian Football Team

I-League calendar should be in sync with FIFA windows: Indian coach Stimac

Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac said on Saturday that he is keeping a close watch on the players competing in the I-League for a possible national team call up. The Croatian also said that the I-League calendar should be in sync with the FIFA window so that players don't miss out of national selection. A 25-member Indian team, led by skipper Sunil Chhetri, underwent their first training session on Saturday evening after arriving here a week in advance to acclimatise to the high-altitude venue ahead of the away Round 2 tie of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualification here on March 21. "I watch all the games throughout the season but this time, I especially went to see some of our youngsters playing in the I-League," said Stimac, indicating how serious he is about scouting for talent in the domestic tournament. "(Coach of the India U-23 team) Mahesh (Gawali) is responsible for following I-League players and I wanted to see some of the

Manisha helps India women earn historic first win over european nation

The Indian football team withstood a late charge by Estonia to pick up a hard-fought 4-3 win in the Turkish Women's Cup on Wednesday, the side's first victory against an European nation. Striker Manisha Kalyan scored a brace and the Chaoba Devi-coached side created a piece of history as the Indian senior women's team had never before triumphed over a team from the UEFA confederation in an official outing. The teams were locked 1-1 at half time. Manisha struck in the 17th and 81st minutes while Indumathi Kathiresan (62'), and Pyari Xaxa (79') scored the other goals for India. Lisette Tammik (32'), Vlada Kubassova (88') and Mari Liis Lillemae (90') found the target for Estonia. Played at the picturesque Gold City Sports Complex, the Blue Tigresses made a perfect start when they shot into the lead through a Manisha goal. After Estonia drew level off a strike by Lisette Tammik, a rampaging India struck thrice through Indumathi, Xaxa and Manisha to take a commanding 4-1 lead. Just as

FIFA Rankings: India drops 15 places to 117th, worst in seven years

The Indian football team on Thursday dropped 15 places to 117th in the FIFA rankings, the worst in seven years, after the recent debacle in the AFC Asian Cup, where it lost all its three group matches. This was India's worst ranking after it was placed at 129th spot in January 2017 chart. The historical worst ranking, though, was 173 in 2015. The Indian team was placed at 102nd in the last FIFA rankings, issued on December 21, 2023. India also lost 35.63 rating points from the previous total. It now lies in between Togo (116th) and Guinea-Bissau (118th). The country is ranked 22nd among the Asian nations. India, under Igor Stimac, ended their Asian Cup campaign in January pointless and goal-less after losing to Australia (0-2), Uzbekistan (0-3) and Syria (0-1). It finished at the bottom of the four-team Group B. The main movers were the countries of Asia and Africa as they had their continental championships during this period. There was no change in the top-10 with world champion

SC dismisses TN Football Association's plea against appointment committee

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea by the Tamil Nadu Football Association challenging a Madras High Court order appointing a committee to look into the affairs of the football body till a new administrative panel is appointed. Observing that the plea was an abuse of the process of law, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and K V Viswanathan also imposed a cost of Rs 50,000 on the office bearers of the Tamil Nadu Football Association, including its president Jesiah Villavarayar. The apex court directed that the cost be deposited with the Supreme Court Middle Income Group Legal Aid Services. It also directed its registry to list the matter as a contempt petition on its own if the members fail to deposit the cost amount. It made clear that the office bearers shall not reimburse the cost from the association. "The problem is that you are not spending money from your pocket so you don't know the pain of litigation. You are spending public money. This is all self promotion and abuse

'Can't expect national team to do well...': Stimac's comment on football

India football head coach Igor Stimac feels the national team cannot be expected to shine in tournaments like the Asian Cup until the best clubs of the country keep losing to sides from Bangladesh and Maldives. In the report he submitted to the All India Football Federation (AIFF), Stimac said the national team's performance in the Asian Cup in Doha, where it suffered three losses, was "disappointing but not unexpected". "I'm truly realistic person ...and for now we should be happy and satisfied when continuously participating at the AFC Asian Cup. The reason for saying that is very simple and logical," Stimac wrote in his report. "...how to expect our NT (national team) to do well while our best ISL teams are losing heavily in AFC Champion League and suffering defeats in AFC Cup club competitions against teams from Bangladesh and Maldives?" Stimac was spot on in his comments as Indian clubs rarely make it to the knock-out rounds of the continental level tournaments. He also said

AFC Asian Cup: India knocked after losing 0-1 to Syria in last group match

India crashed out of the Asian Cup football tournament after suffering a 0-1 defeat to Syria in their last group match here on Tuesday. Substitute Omar Khrbin scored the all-important goal in the 76th minute to keep Syria in contention for a knockout round berth. India finished at the bottom of the four-team Group B after losing all their three matches without scoring any goal. India had also failed to make it to the knockout round in 1984, 2011 and 2019 editions of the tournament. The country had finished runner-up in 1964 when only four teams took part in the continental tournament.

AFC Asian Cup 2023: India must win against Syria to keep alive faint hopes

Winless, and pointless, after losing two group matches, India need nothing more than a win against a tricky Syria to keep alive their faint hopes of making the knockout stage of AFC Asian Cup football tournament here on Tuesday. A 0-2 and 0-3 defeat to Australia and Uzbekistan laid bare India's inability to give strong competition to the top teams of the continent but a win against Syria can salvage some pride for the Sunil Chhetri-led side. Syria are currently ranked at 91st in the FIFA chart, 11 places above India (102nd) but a victory is not impossible for the Igor Stimac-coached side as they had won in the past -- in 2007, 2009 and 2012 Nehru Cup tournaments. The last time the two sides met, the match ended in a 1-1 draw in the 2019 Intercontinental Cup in Ahmedabad, and Stimac was also in charge of the Indian team then. India will finish third in Group B if they beat Syria at Al Bayt Stadium but even that will not guarantee them a place in the round of 16. With a goal differe

IND vs UZB, AFC Asian Cup Highlights: Listless India lose 0-3 to Uzbeks

India vs Uzbekistan Highlights, AFC Asian Cup football: The Blue Tigers were tamed by the White Wolfs as the Uzbeks punished a listless Indian team 3-0 in the group B affair in Doha

AFC Asian Cup: Sunil Chhetri targets Uzbekistan tie to get important points

Talismanic Indian forward Sunil Chhetri has urged his teammates to look forward and focus on the match against Uzbekistan after the 0-2 loss to heavyweights Australia in their AFC Asian Cup opener. The Blue Tigers put up a gritty show to hold the Asian giants for a goalless stalemate in the first-half. But Australia, who were the World Cup 2022 pre-quarterfinalists, demonstrated their superiority with goals from Craig Irwine (50') and substitute Jordan Bos (73'). "There are pros and cons to this game. It's not easy to play the best team in Asia," Chhetri said in AIFF website. "We are not used to playing sides like these, as we don't play against them very often, so you never know what to expect." The Indian skipper, who began his career in 2005, failed to add to his tally of 93 goals but he said the focus is now on their match against Uzbekistan on January 18. It's a mixed bag of feelings right now. Once we watch the videos, perhaps we will gain more confidence and work on the th

India vs Australia, AFC Asian Cup Highlights: Blue Tigers go down defending

India vs Australia Highlights, AFC Asian Cup 2024: The Blue Tigers gave it their all, but two moments of chaos, one by Gurpreet Singh and another by defenders meant they lost the game 0-2 to Socceroos

Asian Cup: Bhutia feels India have the team to surprise Australia this time

The tag of favourites might be pinned on Australia, but former striker Bhaichung Bhutia insisted that India have the ammunition to surprise the world No. 25 Socceroos in their AFC Asian Cup group match in Qatar on Saturday. India are clubbed with title contenders Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria in Group B. You never know. I will not be surprised if India get a good result tomorrow, I mean we have the team to surprise them. You know, Australia is not the Australia of a decade ago. We also have made progress as a team," Bhutia told PTI on Friday. "Yes, it will be a tough match, but it is not an impossible task (to get a good result) for this side against them, said the former captain, who is in town for the Masterclass programme organised by Orchids School. So, can India reach the Round of 16 in the tournament? First thing first, we need to tackle Australia. If we can get a good result against them, who knows, said Bhutia. However, Bhutia, who played more than 100 matches for the .

Asian Cup: Coach Stimac wants India to not concede set pieces to Australia

Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac is well aware of Australia's formidable prowess and his simple advice to his players ahead of their AFC Asian Cup opener on Saturday is to maintain defensive compactness to stop goals from set pieces. The Socceroos had beaten India 4-0 in their earlier encounter in the 2011 edition, also hosted by Qatar. We don't have to give away set pieces. We know the strengths of Australia. They play very pragmatic football," Stimac said of Australia, ranked 25th in the world. "They (Australia) caused a lot of problems to England (in a friendly in October) and we can expect the storms coming out of them. We need to stay compact and do everything possible to stop crosses from the flanks." Australia are the champions of the 2015 edition of the Asian Cup, though they had made an exit from the last tournament in 2019 in the quarterfinal stage. India, on the other hand, were eliminated in the group stage in both 2011 and 2019. We are excited that the kic

AFC Asian Cup: India football full schedule, match timings, live streaming

The Indian football team is set to begin their campaign against Australia on January 13. Jio Cinemas will livestream AFC Asian Cup matches in India.

People should give Mahesh bhai credit for our clean sheets: Sandesh Jhingan

India have had nine clean sheets in 2023 and star centre-back Sandesh Jhingan on Wednesday attributed the defenders' success in the year gone by to the team's assistant coach, Mahesh Gawli, one of the top stoppers of his time. While the players did the job on the field, the man quietly working behind the scenes was former India centre-back Gawali. The respect that Gawali commands within the dressing room as one of the best defenders of his time and as an assistant coach is massive. "Mahesh bhai has been one of the stalwarts of the game during his days as a player, and now we learn so much from his experience," Jhingan said. "What he's done for the country is immense, it's just great to have him around. People should give him a lot of credit when they praise us for keeping clean sheets." Gawli, 43, played for India in 68 matches between 2000 and 2011, marshalling the team's defence alongside people like Deepak Mondal and then Gouramangi Singh. Speaking about Gawli, Jhingan said, "

Asian Cup Football 2024: Australia, Uzbekistan miles ahead admits Chhetri

Talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri has no qualms in admitting that India's group opponents Australia and Uzbekistan are notches above his side in quality but playing against them in the upcoming Asian Cup will be a marker to test the country's level of the game. Drawn in Group B in the continental showpiece, India face Australia on January 13, before taking on Uzbekistan (January 18) and Syria (January 23). The top two teams from each group along with four best third-place sides from across six groups progress to the knockout stage. It's a massive tournament for us, purely because we get to rub shoulders with the best in Asia. Teams like Australia and Uzbekistan are probably of the World Cup level, so you can test yourself against them, Chhetri said. What is sure is that we have improved in the last seven-eight years. But then you play them and you see how far you are, and how the tempo of the game is. It's just important to play your best, and generally it's a good marker for the ...

Asian Cup football 2023: India announce 26-member squad, Chhetri to lead

India will start their campaign on Saturday, January 13 against Australia at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan

Players' strength of character key to final line-up of Asian Cup: Stimac

Lined up to face strong sides like Australia and Uzbekistan in the AFC Asian Cup football in Doha next month, India head coach Igor Stimac on Friday said "strength of character" will be the parameter to decide who will be included in the final squad. India are clubbed with formidable Australia, strong central Asian side Uzbekistan and tricky Syria -- all above Stimac's team in the FIFA rankings -- in the group stage of the Asian Cup from January 13 onwards. All the boys in the (probable) list are similar in their football qualities. What we are looking for the final list of 26 is definitely experience, physical strength, and the final line will be drawn by the strength of their character, Stimac said on the All India Football Federation's social media handles. This is very important for us as a team, because no matter the talent, if there is no character nothing can be achieved, he added. Stimac will announce his final 26 players before the team's departure on Saturday. Regarding

Asian Cup football: Down with ankle injury, Anwar Ali misses Team India cut

India will be missing its key central defender Anwar Ali because of his ankle injury in the upcoming AFC Asian Cup in Qatar starting from January 12. Down with a fractured right ankle, the 23-year-old left-footed central defender has been excluded from the 50-member India probables named on Thursday. A key member of head coach Igor Stimac's defence, Anwar's injury will upset the Croat's plans as he has taken a gamble to include midfielder Jeakson Singh in the probable. The Kerala Blasters footballer too is down with an injury (shoulder) as it remains to be seen if he makes the final cut of 23 ahead of their Asian Cup opener against Australia on January 13. In the absence of Anwar, the defence is expected to be helmed by Sandesh Jhingan, Pritam Kotal and Subhasish Bose. Anwar's Mohun Bagan teammate Ashique Kuruniyan, who is down with an ACL injury, has not been named in the probables on expected lines. India, 102 in the FIFA rankings, is the lowest rung side in its Group B as Stim

World Cup 2026 Qualifier India vs Qatar highlights: India lose 0-3 to Qatar

India vs Qatar football match highlights: Qatar would have won by a bigger margin had they not missed several chances while dominating throughout the 90 minutes at the Kalinga Stadium.

IND vs QAT football: Nothing to lose but a hell of a lot to gain - Stimac

Head coach Igor Stimac on Monday said that India have nothing to lose but a hell of a lot to gain in their 2026 FIFA World Cup round 2 qualifiers match against Asian champions Qatar here on Tuesday. India's 1-0 away win against Kuwait on November 16 will certainly boost their confidence but Stimac made it clear that "Qatar is out of our league", though the home side will seek to take inspiration from their famous goal-less draw against the Asian champions four years ago. "The Kuwait game was the most important game in our qualifiers in this group. We had an away win against our direct opponent for the second spot," Stimac said at the pre-match press conference. "We are very realistic, we know that Qatar is out of our league. But we also know that this is football, the most beautiful game in the world which provides opportunities and this is our opportunity." Stimac urged his players to consider Tuesday's match at the Kalinga Stadium as any other game and give their best. "We all k