Sunil Chhetri to captain Indian men's football team at Asian Games, AIFF announces 18-member squad

Sunil Chhetri will captain the Indian men’s football team at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, which is set to begin on September 19, it was confirmed on Wednesday. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has announced an 18-member squad for the Asian Games. Initially, they announced a 17-member squad but Deepak Tangri was added later. While Chhetri has been retained by the AIFF, senior players like Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Sandesh Jhingan have been withdrawn from the original squad as ISL clubs get ready for the new season from 21 September. Explained: Stimac's astrologer controversy and AIFF vs ISL clubs tussle over Asian Games The AIFF also thanked Indian Super League (ISL) club and FSDL, the league’s organisers, for releasing the players for the Asian Games. The AIFF and ISL clubs were involved in a tussle over the release of players. With the Asian Games being held outside the FIFA window, clubs have no obligation to release players and their priority is the ISL 2023-24 season. “It has been a hectic time for Indian football season this time. We have a tight schedule within a short period of time that was not easy to manage," AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey said. “There have been too many things happening, both at the domestic and the international level, involving India’s National Teams, as well as the ISL clubs. While the Senior National Men’s Team successfully completed playing a series of matches, they are also awaiting to play the Asian Games, followed by Merdeka Cup, World Cup Qualifiers, and the AFC Asian Cup,” he said. The AIFF President pointed out that things are busy on the domestic front too. The clubs are busy, not only in the top domestic league with an increased number of matches but a few clubs are also committed to playing in Asian competitions. “We must remember that there are general elections coming, and to avoid the adverse weather conditions in certain parts of the country, we had to adjust the schedule, and shorten the domestic calendar to an extent so that these things don’t hamper the quality of the games and put unnecessary pressure on the players. “There were situations which were unavoidable and demanded a great balancing act. It was never easy, but at the same time, I must reach out to FSDL and the clubs, thanking them for making it possible. The Indian National Team are going to the Asian Games after a nine-year gap, and it has become possible because of the active support the Indian Football received from the Government of India, especially the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports,” said the AIFF President. Mr Chaubey expressed confidence that the Indian team will perform creditably in the Asian Games and will take Indian football forward. India’s new Asian Games squad: Gurmeet Singh, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, Deepak Tangri, Sumit Rathi, Narender Gahlot, Amarjit Singh Kiyam, Samuel James, Rahul KP, Abdul Rabeeh Anjukandan, Ayush Dev Chhetri, Bryce Miranda, Azfar Noorani, Rahim Ali, Vincy Bareto, Sunil Chhetri, Rohit Danu, Gurkirat Singh, Aniket Jadhav. India’s old Asian Games squad: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Gurmeet Singh, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Narender Gahlot, Lalchungnunga, Akash Mishra, Roshan Singh, Ashish Rai, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Apuia Ralte, Amarjit Singh Kiyam, Rahul KP, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Siva Sakthi Narayanan, Rahim Ali, Aniket Jadhav, Vikram Partap Singh, Rohit Danu, Sunil Chhetri.