Indian Football Round-up: 5 Things to watch out for in 2019

AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers

India is grouped alongside Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan in the qualifiers to be played in Uzbekistan

If the AIFF decides to part ways with Stephen Constantine after the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, the very first task for the new head coach will be guiding India to the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship. The qualifiers will begin on 22 March and end on 26 March.

India has failed to qualify for the main tournament since its inception in 2013. In the 2018 qualifiers played in 2017, the Blue Tigers lost to Syria 0-2, Qatar 0-1, and defeated Turkmenistan 3-1. Only players born on or after 1 January 1997 are eligible for the tournament and, Anirudh Thapa, Vinit Rai, Ashique Kuruniyan, and Sarthak Golui will play in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

Moreover, the main tournament also acts as a qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Right now, India qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics sounds preposterous. But, if India manages to qualify for the knockout stages of the main tournament, it would at least ensure that Indian football is on the right track.