"Reasons given are unjust" - India head coach Igor Stimac appeals to PM Narendra Modi to allow the national team to participate in Asian Games 2023

Dark clouds of uncertainty once again loomed over Indian football, when recent reports claimed that the national team was unlikely to participate in the Asian Games for the second consecutive time. The reason cited for non-participation was the Sports Ministry’s criteria of not being among the top 8 sides in the continent to get a shot at the Asian Games.

In an appeal to the Ministry to make an exception, the national team head coach, Igor Stimac, came out with a statement on Monday, July 17, directed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Honourable Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi ji, I am not sure if someone would have briefed you or updated you about the Indian teams participating in the upcoming Asian Games, where the most important and the key global sport "football" team has been deprived from participating and representing the Indian flag," he wrote on his official Twitter handle.

"We as a national team have worked extremely hard in the last 4 years and managed some great results, proving that we can achieve more if we get the support from all stakeholders," Stimac added. "Your speech about football and Mbappe in your recent visit to France also touched all Indians dreaming and rooting for Indian football."

The Croatian gaffer, furthermore, underlined that the "fine new generation of players" who were part of the historic FIFA U17 World Cup campaign in 2017 and also delivered "great performance" at the U23 World Cup qualifiers will miss out on the opportunity of rubbing shoulders with Asia's finest due to this decision.

"I wanted to bring to your immediate attention that our U-17 team from 2017, which also gave a great performance at the U-23 World Cup qualifiers and is one very talented team, is now being deprived from participating in the Asian games. This team really needs and deserves the participation," Igor Stimac continued.

"The reasons given are unjust and as India's national team coach, I felt it's important to immediately bring this matter to your and the Hon'ble Sports Minister Anurag Thakur's knowledge. So that you could intervene and help the team participate in the Asian Games," he added further.

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Igor Stimac highlights the fallacy of rankings to PM Narendra Modi in the letter

The argument given to substantiate the Sports Ministry's decision was the Indian football team's ranking in Asia. In a letter sent to Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and all the National Sports Federations (NSFs), the Sports Ministry said:

“For team events, only those sports which have achieved a ranking up to eighth among participating countries of Asia in the last one year should be considered for participation in Asian Games.”

Meanwhile, India are currently ranked 18th among countries under the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). In his letter to the PM, Igor Stimac underlined that history and statistics showcase that minnows have often been able to triumph over the heavyweights in football.

"As our own ministry is denying the participation on the context of ranking," Stimac continued. "Whereas the fact is that our football team is better ranked than some of the other sports teams which have been allowed participation in the Asian games. Also history and statistics are testimony to the fact that football is one sport where a lower-ranked team has a chance to beat the top-ranked teams."

The national team head coach signed off by saying:

"So my humble appeal and sincere request on behalf of the entire Indian Football fraternity to you, to kindly allow our football team to participate in the Asian games. We will fight for our nation's pride and the flag!"

The Asian Games, which will be held in Hangzhou, China, will kick-off on September 23, but the football competition will begin on September 19. The Sports Ministry will need to act promptly if the Blue Tigers are to have a proper preparation camp ahead of the tournament.