IOA excludes football teams from Asian Games; calls them "passengers"
Insisting that they wonât allow any "passengers", the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), on Saturday, omitted the men and womenâs football teams from the Asian Games contingent. A senior IOA official said football teams were excluded because they âdid not stand a chance to compete for medalsâ.
The decision comes as a massive setback to the All India Football Federation (AIFF), who were hoping to use the Asian Games as one of the key tournaments in the build-up to next yearâs AFC Asian Cup. Livid with the decision, the AIFF would raise the issue with sports minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, hoping that the IOA would reverse its stand.
Football was the only high-profile sport which has been omitted from Indiaâs entry list, which was
âGuidelines are in place and we are strictly following them. The football team hasnât done well internationally and had no chance of winning medals. So there was no point sending them for the Games,â a senior IOA official said as quoted by Indian Express. âWe are evolving as a sporting nation. In many sports, we are competing for gold medals. In such a scenario, we shouldnât send a team merely to compete.â
According to government guidelines, which have been enforced by the IOA as well, only those teams which have achieved ranking up to eighth among nations competing at the Asian Games would be considered for participation. The menâs team has been ranked 97th in the world and 14th in Asia, whereas the womenâs team, placed 60th in the world, are 13th in the continent. These norms have been relaxed in certain cases, but a ministry official insisted they will be strictly implemented on this occasion.
With the Asian Cup barely four months after the Games, it has been argued that the Asiad would be necessary exposure for the team.
âFootball is easily the most competitive sport in the world. Itâs not easy to be in top eight of the continent and this decision taken by the IOA completely ignores the progress made in the recent years. We will raise the issue with the highest authorities and ensure the participation of our teams,â an AIFF official said.
This wasnât the first time football teams were on the chopping block. It was a similar case four years ago but a timely intervention by AIFF president Praful Patel saved the day for them. They went on to lose all their matches, forcing the IOA to take the drastic step of omitting them from the