Indian men’s and women’s football to participate in 2022 Asian Games
The HinduThe Indian men’s and women’s football are set to take their place in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou in September after the Sports Ministry granted an exemption despite the teams not meeting the criteria of being ranked among the top eight teams in the continent. Sports Minister Anurag Thakur tweeted, “Our national football teams, both Men’s and Women’s, are set to participate in the upcoming Asian Games. READ | Aiming for more at Asian Games: IOA at crossroads to send more teams to Hangzhou 2022 “The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, has decided to relax the rules to facilitate participation of both the teams, which were not qualifying as per the existing criterion.” The men’s team won the Intercontinental Cup and the SAFF Cup in back-to-back months with some impressive performances. It’s my honour to represent the All India Football Federation and with moments like this, it further encourages our steadfast commitment to continue developing the ecosystem in the country.” The national men’s team head coach Igor Stimac, who will coach the team at the Asian Games, had also urged for the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sports minister Anurag Thakur to allow the team to compete.