Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan, Gurpreet Singh In Indian Football Team For Asian Games

Sunil Chhetri, senior defender Sandesh Jhingan and first-choice goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu were on Tuesday named in a 22-member Indian men's football squad for the upcoming Asian Games

Talisman Sunil Chhetri, senior defender Sandesh Jhingan and first-choice goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu were on Tuesday named in a 22-member Indian men's football squad for the upcoming Asian Games. In Hangzhou, China, the host city for the Games, the Indian squad will be under the charge of national senior team head coach, Igor Stimac. PTI had earlier reported that the All India Football Federation (AIFF) was bullish about sending its first team to the Asian Games led by Chhetri and coached by 1998 Croatian World Cup semifinalist Stimac.

It is learnt that this Indian squad has got approval from the Asian Games organisers and the Olympic Council of Asia.

The participation of the Indian men's and women's football sides in the Hangzhou Games was earlier in doubt as per the sports ministry's criteria of sending teams which are ranked in top-8 in the continent.

The ministry later cleared both the teams by relaxing the criteria after an appeal from the AIFF. Head coach Stimac had also sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in the matter.

The Indian men's team are placed alongside hosts China PR, Bangladesh, and Myanmar in Group A.