Asian Games 2023: How Indian football team has fared over the years

The period from 1950 to 1970 is often considered the golden age of Indian football. It was during this phase, the Indian men’s football team achieved notable successes, particularly at the Asian Games. One of the most glorious moments of this era was India’s historic victory at the inaugural 1951 Asian Games in New Delhi, where they clinched the gold medal. This made them the first-ever Asian Games football champions. The team also won a gold medal in 1962 in Indonesia. Another big milestone in Indian football history were the Asian Games in Bangkok in 1970. The team bagged bronze here and it was their last major international success. Golden Era of Indian Football India’s brightest era in football started with their impressive Olympic Games debut in 1948 against European giants France. They were also the hosts when India hosted the inaugural Asian Games in 1951. Under the tutelage of chief coach Syed Abdul Rahim, India fielded an attack-oriented team that included both established players like Sailen Manna, Sahu Mewalal and Ahmed Khan. There were also a number of promising newcomers that included Pansanttom Venkatesh, Thulukhanam Shanmugham and Abdul Razzaq Saleh. One of Asia’s best defenders at the time, captain Sailen Manna was spearheading the backline and India went through the tournament without conceding a single goal. They won their games against Indonesia and Afghanistan before facing a challenging final against Iran. They won 1-0 thanks primarily to goalkeeper B Anthony, with Mewalal contributing crucial goals. Inaugural Asian Games India became the Asian Games football champions in front of a capacity crowd at the National Stadium in Delhi. It was attended by India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru as well as President Dr Rajendra Prasad. However, India’s title defense in 1954 was underwhelming as they finished in the eighth place. The team bounced back in 1958 under manager T Shome, but missed out on a medal after defeats to South Korea and Indonesia. Syed Abdul Rahim made a return in 1962 and this saw a drastic improvement in India’s fortunes. This side had stars like PK Banerjee, Chuni Goswami, and Tulsidas Balaram and made it through to the knockout stage by beating Thailand and Japan. India clinched Gold when they beat South Korea 2-1 in the final. Unfortunately, Rahim’s passed away in 1963 after a long battle with cancer and this had a huge bearing on India’s campaign in 1966 when they finished eighth. There was some joy in Bangkok 1970, where the team won a bronze medal and players like Subhash Bhowmick, Sudhir Karmakar, Mohammad Habib, Shyam Thapa and captain Syed Nayeemuddin starred. The team has, since, slipped away at the Asian Games has seen a decline since then. The 1982 edition was their only noteworthy performance in the last five decades as they finished sixth. India did not send a football team to the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. As far as the the Indian women’s football team is concerned, they have participated in the Asian Games twice, finishing eighth in 1998 and ninth in 2014.