All posts tagged: Indian Football team

India withdraws from FIFA ASEAN Cup to focus on Brazil friendly

India withdraws from FIFA ASEAN Cup to focus on Brazil friendly

Published by Webster

India have withdrawn from the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup, with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) choosing to prioritise the national team’s October 3 friendly against five-time world champions Brazil. AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey confirmed the decision on Wednesday, citing India’s existing commitment to the Brazil Football Federation as well as scheduling constraints during the September 21 to October 6 FIFA international window. “We are unable to participate in the FIFA ASEAN Cup due to our commitment with the Brazil football federation,” Chaubey told HT. “There were technical issues too since only four games can be played during the window.” AIFF eyes two more friendlies India were drawn alongside hosts Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The tournament was scheduled to begin on September 24, with the group winners progressing to the Division 1 final on October 3. However, India’s fixture against Brazil in Kolkata falls on the same date as the ASEAN Cup final. Chaubey said India had already played Singapore and Malaysia four times over the last three years and could face them again, while …

AFC to introduce Nations League to enhance development opportunities

AFC to introduce Nations League to enhance development opportunities

Published by Webster

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening National Team football across the Continent with plans to introduce an AFC Nations League in the coming period. AFC Nations League will be a tier-based national team annual competition, offering AFC’s Member Associations (MAs), including the Indian national team, to establish a more structured and sustainable international match framework. This will be the first time such a league will be introduced in Asia, following the footsteps of the UEFA Nations League and CONCACAF Nations League. Need for AFC Nations League The AFC remains focused on delivering high-quality and consistent development pathways for its MAs in accordance with its long-term vision to advance football across Asia. However, the effective utilisation of the FIFA International Match Windows has become increasingly challenging due to limited opponent availability, rising operational costs and logistical complexities, often diminishing the sporting value of international fixtures. These challenges have highlighted the need for a more structured, predictable and sustainable competition framework for National Teams and, following a comprehensive internal review and consultation …

Ryan Williams can now play for India as FIFA’s Players’ Status Chamber gives approval | Football News

Ryan Williams can now play for India as FIFA’s Players’ Status Chamber gives approval | Football News

Published by Webster

Ryan Williams, who gave up his Australian citizenship to be eligible to play for the Indian football team, can finally play for the Blue Tigers after the FIFA’s Players’ Status Chamber approved his eligibility to represent India. The All India Football Federation made the announcement on Thursday in a social media post on X. Earlier this month, Williams had already earned a call up to the national team camp after successfully gaining Indian citizenship. The 32-year-old had joined the India camp in Bengaluru in the run-up to India’s AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifier against Bangladesh away from home. “Honoured to make official what’s long felt true. Grateful for the love, the opportunity, and the sense of belonging this country has given me,” he had posted on his social media platforms earlier this month. “India, I’m one of your own!” Williams’ decision comes at a pivotal time in Indian football where the homegrown strikeforce is facing an acute shortage (ISL Photo) Now the decks have been cleared by the global governing body of football, FIFA, as …

Indian football team suffers embarrassing 0-1 loss to Bangladesh in Asian Cup qualifiers | Football News

Indian football team suffers embarrassing 0-1 loss to Bangladesh in Asian Cup qualifiers | Football News

Published by Webster

Already out contention for a spot in the 2027 Asian Cup, India suffered another embarrassing defeat, losing 0-1 to Bangladesh in their penultimate Group C match of qualifying round in Dhaka on Tuesday. Sheikh Morsalin scored the all-important goal for Bangladesh in the 11th minute to the wild cheer of the capacity crowd at the National Stadium in Dhaka. The match, though, had been rendered inconsequential as both the sides were out of contention of the 2027 continental showpiece. India got a golden scoring chance in the 31st minute but Lallianzuala Chhangte’s right-footed shot from the top of the box after Bangladesh goalkeeper Mitul Marma was completely out of position was headed away by Hamza Choudhury. Story continues below this ad There was an instance of pushing and shoving among some players of the two teams near the touch line in the first half but the referee brought it under control.India’s campaign had effectively ended on October 14, when they squandered a 1-0 lead to lose 1-2 to Singapore in Margao, Goa. By virtue of …

Ryan Williams joins India camp after giving up Australian citizenship

Ryan Williams joins India camp after giving up Australian citizenship

Published by Parlour News

Ryan Williams has earned his maiden callup to the Indian national camp just days after he announced that he has succesfully gained Indian citizenship. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Sunday said that Williams, 32, has joined the camp in Bengaluru in the run-up to India’s AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifier against Bangladesh away from home. The match is a dead rubber, with both India and Bangladesh out of contention in the qualification race. Williams and 27-year-old Abneet Bharti had confirmed that they had received Indian citizenship on the same day. While Bharti had left the Nepal fold long back and has previously been called up for junior India teams, Williams’s decision to surrender his Australian passport to play for India is striking. He isn’t the first player to do so – that was Japan-born Arata Izumi, whose father was Gujarati. Izumi took Indian citizenship back in 2012 and went on to play for India 9 times in 2013 and 2014. Williams’ decision, however, comes at a pivotal time in Indian football where the …

Ryan Williams joins the National team camp ahead of the Asian Cup Qualifiers

Ryan Williams joins the National team camp ahead of the Asian Cup Qualifiers

Published by Webster

Forward Ryan Williams, who has relinquished his Australian passport to obtain Indian citizenship, has officially joined the senior national football team camp in Bengaluru ahead of India’s AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifying match against Bangladesh. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) confirmed the development on Sunday, calling it a landmark moment for Indian football. Born in Perth, the 32-year-old Williams entered the camp alongside defender Jay Gupta. “Forward Ryan Williams and defender Jay Gupta have joined the senior men’s national team camp in Bengaluru,” the AIFF announced on X. Williams’ mother was born in Mumbai, while his father hails from Kent, England. The forward previously represented Australia at the U-20 and U-23 levels and made a senior appearance in a friendly against South Korea in 2019. Having played for English clubs Fulham and Portsmouth, Williams joined Indian Super League side Bengaluru FC in 2023. “Honoured to make official what’s long felt true. Grateful for the love, the opportunity, and the sense of belonging this country has given me. As you can see, the last round …

FC Goa suffer second consecutive defeat to Al Nassr

FC Goa suffer second consecutive defeat to Al Nassr

Published by Webster

FC Goa were beaten 0-4 by Al Nassr Club in their fourth match of the AFC Champions League Two 2025-26 at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday. Al Nassr head coach Jorge Jesus persisted with rotating his squad as the likes of Harouane Camara and Mohammed Marran were given starts, while Manolo Márquez made three changes to the Goa side that lost 2-1 in the reverse fixture last month. Goa’s determined defending meant Al Nassr had to wait until the 20th minute to create their first big opening, Wesley dribbling into the box but dragging his shot just wide of the far post. The deadlock was broken stunningly in the 35th minute, Abdulrahman Ghareeb curled a spectacular free-kick that hit the underside of the bar before landing in the net with Goa custodian Hrithik Tiwari rooted to his spot. Al Nassr missed a chance to take a more comfortable lead into the break when midfielder Ali Alhassan ballooned his effort high over the bar in the 38th minute after good …

‘You’ll get time to live normal life… (right now) just go mad’

‘You’ll get time to live normal life… (right now) just go mad’

Published by Webster

The Indian women’s football team, currently preparing for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers, had a special visitor in the form of Sunil Chhetri to boost their morale. Currently playing for the Indian men’s football team after reversing his decision to retire from international football, Sunil Chhetri gave a rousing speech to the Blue Tigresses. In the sattar-minute-esque speech, Chhetri urged the players to “go crazy” in their pursuit to keep playing football at the top level. “Kal main athra saal ka tha (Yesterday, I was 18 years old!) Today, I’m 41! Your coach (Crispin Chhetri) and I were in same team once. The reason I am saying this is to tell you that time flies. Fast! If you really want it bad, take all the margins. There will be no difference between sleeping at 10 pm and sleeping at 10.45 pm in one night. But do this for a year, and you see the difference. If you eat a samosa one day, won’t make too much of a difference. But don’t eat it …

Football and tennis in focus as Sports Ministry considers lifting ban on OCI athletes

Football and tennis in focus as Sports Ministry considers lifting ban on OCI athletes

Published by Webster

The Indian Sports Ministry is considering a potential revocation of the long-standing ban on Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card-holders representing the country in international sports. Introduced in 2008, the current regulation allows only Indian passport-holders to officially play for the nation. This possible policy shift comes amid concerns over India’s lack of progress in sports like football and tennis, where overseas-based athletes of Indian origin have often been unable to contribute due to passport restrictions, as per PTI. The idea behind reconsidering the ban is to strengthen India’s sporting ecosystem by opening the doors for more global talent with Indian roots. The proposal is still in its early stages. According to a ministry official, any change would require extensive discussions between all involved stakeholders and is likely to be a gradual process. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has shown particular interest in the move, even though there are currently no high-profile OCI players ready to be drafted into the national team. The aim is more long-term — to ensure that promising footballers of …

Bhaichung Bhutia on India’s over-reliance on Sunil Chhetri: By the time he gets to his second retirement, he might have a head haemorrhage! | Football News

Bhaichung Bhutia on India’s over-reliance on Sunil Chhetri: By the time he gets to his second retirement, he might have a head haemorrhage! | Football News

Published by Webster

“By the time he (Sunil Chhetri) gets to his second retirement, he might have a head haemorrhage! (laughs) For the club, for the country, everybody is only trying to cross (the ball) to his head.” Bhaichung Bhutia says this in jest. But underneath the laughter lies a growing concern over India’s ‘predictable’ line of attack and the over-reliance on the country’s highest-goalscorer, Chhetri, to keep on scoring; mostly from inaccurate crosses. Dismayed after India’s goalless draw against 185th-ranked Bangladesh earlier this week, as well as the overall state of Indian football, Bhutia said ‘For the whole game, we lacked a lot of options in terms of attack’. “We were only relying on… it was a very predictable kind of attack, where you go past the wing and dribble, pass, cross, and expect Sunil to just head the ball and score,” he told The Indian Express. Story continues below this ad When asked why the current bunch of attackers can’t seem to create chances or score goals, Bhutia said the players now need to be ‘very, …