Asian Games 2023: Apuia missing from India football squad over psychologist's form, says report

Lalengmawia ‘Apuia’ Ralte, the 22-year-old midfielder who plays for Mumbai City FC, has always been an enigmatic figure in Indian football. He last played for the country against Mongolia in the Intercontinental Cup on June 9. He was considered to make it to the squad for King’s Cup in Thailand but he did not feature in the team sheet. He is eligible for the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup qualifiers in Dalian, China, but is still not part of the team. Now, his absence from the India's squad for the Asian Games is being attributed to an off the field issue. According to a report by The Times of India, the issue arose during the team’s preparatory camp in Bhubaneswar in May, just ahead of the Intercontinental Cup. Apuia interview: Mumbai City FC player has targets to achieve in 'most competitive' season During the camp, the team’s psychologist conducted several sessions on mental conditioning and then asked the players to complete a basic questionnaire. However, Apuia did not submit his responses before the deadline and head coach Igor Stimac was informed. Stimac was not pleased with the turn of events and decided to take strong measures against him. As per the report_,_ a source said, “We do not know why Apuia failed to submit the form. He may have needed some help. In this case, after the psychologist’s complaint, an angry Stimac told Apuia that he will never represent the national team until he is in charge.” India’s squad for Asian Games Gurmeet Singh (Hyderabad FC), Dheeraj Singh (FC Goa); Sumit Rathi (Mohun Bagan Super Giant), Nardender Gahlot (Odisha FC), Amarjit Singh Kiyam (Punjab FC), Samuel James (Punjab), Rahul KP (Kerala Blasters), Abdul Rabeeh Anjukandan (Hyderabad FC), Ayush Chhetri (FC Goa), Bryce Miranda (Kerala Blasters), Azfar Noorani (Gokulam Kerala), Rahim Ali (Chennaiyin FC), Vincy Barreto (Chennaiyin FC), Sunil Chhetri (Bengaluru FC), Rohit Danu (Bengaluru FC), Gurkirat Singh (Mumbai City), Aniket Jadhav (Odisha FC.)