Latest news with #AFCAsianCup
Hans India
a day ago
- Sport
- Hans India
Capellas resigns as Phillippines head coach, Cuadrat appointed on interim bases
Albert Capellas has resigned as head coach of the Philippines citing personal reasons ahead of the Southeast Asian nation's AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers against Tajikistan on June 10. Capellas, who took over from Tom Saintfiet in September and led the Philippines to the semi-finals of the ASEAN Football Federation Championship three months later, will be replaced on an interim basis by his assistant coach, Carles Cuadrat. Cuadrat's most recent job was at the helm of East Bengal, where he won the 2023 Indian Super Cup. He is also an Indian Super League winner from his time with Bengaluru FC. "My wonderful journey as head coach of the Philippines has come to an end, and I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who have been part of it, especially the players and all the staff involved," said Capellas. "Together, we have enjoyed an inspiring journey and have proven that Filipino football has a promising generation of young players with the potential to bring great pride and success to the country." The Philippines won their opening game in Group A of the third round of qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 when Capellas led his side to a comfortable 4-1 victory over the Maldives in March. Timor-Leste also features in the group. The country is attempting to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup Finals for the second time after making its debut in the United Arab Emirates in 2019. "We are grateful for Capellas' service, and wish him well," said Philippines team manager Freddie Gonzalez. "We move on and keep pushing forward. "Albert left us with a blueprint to follow, and we thank him for bringing Carles on board, enabling him to be the interim head coach and provide continuity for what Albert has started."
The Print
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Print
Blue Tigresses begin tuning for Asia with Uzbekistan friendlies
India head coach Crispin Chettri said at the pre-match press conference they are preparing in earnest for the upcoming assignments. The Blue Tigresses are set to play the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers from June 23 to July 5.. Bengaluru, May 29 (PTI) The Indian women's football team will take on Uzbekistan in the first of the two international friendly matches here on Friday as part of preparations for the upcoming AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 qualifiers. 'We are moving in the right direction. The team have had almost 25 days of preparation, everything's going as per the expectations,' Chettri said. Since Chettri took over as the head coach of the Blue Tigresses in February, the senior India women's team have seen a transition to a much younger squad, something that the coach has emphasised. 'It's a mixed bunch that we have. While there are many youngsters, we also have some very good seniors like Panthoi (Chanu Elangbam), Grace (Dangmei), Sweety (Devi Ngangbam), Anju (Tamang), and Ratan (Nongmaithem Ratanbala Devi). 'We are without the likes of Ashalata (Devi Loitongbam), Dalima (Chhibber), Aditi (Chauhan), and Indu (Indumathi Kathiresan). 'What's important for us right now, is to prepare for the next generation. We must develop the younger generation of players for 2031. I think with the mix of experienced players around them, we are heading in the right direction.'. In the AFC Qualifiers, India are in Group B and will play against Mongolia (June 23), Timor-Leste (June 29), Iraq (July 2), and hosts Thailand (July 5). Chettri said he is willing to sacrifice results for development. 'The Uzbekistan matches are ones where we want to explore and give opportunities to youngsters. We simply want to play proper football and keep possession whenever we can,' he said.. 'Instead of the results, we are looking more at how the players fulfill their roles and responsibilities, and there's no match better to do that than against a quality team like Uzbekistan.'. Blue Tigresses defender Hemam Shilky Devi stressed the importance of the month-long camp in Bengaluru, as the team prepare with Asian qualification as the primary target. 'We've had an extremely good camp so far. The facilities that we have been using are excellent, and we've been able to just focus on training all month long,' she said. Uzbekistan hold the upper hand in the head-to-head record against India, having won nine of the 13 matches played between the two teams so far, three matches ending in draws. India have won only once against Uzbekistan, back in 2003. The last time the two teams played each other was in June 2024, which ended in a stalemate in a friendly in Tashkent. PTI AH AH KHS This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
5 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
Sunil Chhetri coming out of retirement 'bad news for Indian football', says ex-India midfielder
Sunil Chhetri had reversed his international retirement less than a year after bidding the Indian team an emotional goodbye to represent the Blue Tigers in their AFC Asian Cup Qualifying match against Bangladesh in March. read more Legendary Indian forward Sunil Chhetri had bid international football goodbye in June last year, only to make a U-turn less than a year later. Reuters Less than a year after he , legendary forward Sunil Chhetri found himself answering an SOS call from the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and to represent the Blue Tigers in their AFC Asian Cup qualifying game against Bangladesh in Shillong in March. It wasn't a one-off appearance against Bangladesh for Chhetri though, as the 40-year-old, who continues to play for Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League, has also been by coach Manolo Marquez. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Former India attacking midfielder Shanmugam Venkatesh, for one, isn't a fan of Chhetri having to come out of international retirement after a legendary career spanning 19 years, describing it as 'bad news for Indian football'. More from Football 'It's demotivating for all the young players' Venkatesh, who currently serves as assistant manager at iconic Kolkata club East Bengal, further revealed that he has asked a senior player to step aside in order to allow Chhetri to make his debut back in 2005, when he was captaining the Blue Tigers. 'Two decades ago, I told a senior player to hang up his boots so a young Sunil Chhetri could rise. But now Chhetri breaking his retirement to come back is bad news for Indian football. It's demotivating for all the young players. I'm not blaming Chhetri. He will play only one or two matches. But if you bring a youngster and back him now, he will give 10 years,' Venkatesh told The Times of India. Venkatesh added that the superstar's return essentially highlights the fact that Indian football does not have enough talent coming through to fill the void and cannot function without Chhetri, one of the country's greatest footballers of all time and certainly the standout player since the turn of the millennium alongside Baichung Bhutia. 'Indirectly, we are sending a message to everyone that we don't have enough players. We are seeing that a lot of grassroots programme have come and there are a lot of tournaments. Still, we are depending on the 40-year-old striker?' added Venkatesh, who has also served as assistant coach to the Indian football team in the past. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India face Thailand in an international friendly on 4 June, which will be followed by their second AFC Asian Cup Qualifier against Hong Kong on their turf on 10 June.
India Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- India Today
Jammu and Kashmir's Suhail Bhat earns India call-up for football friendly vs Thailand
Suhail Ahmad Bhat, a promising young forward from Jammu and Kashmir, has earned his maiden senior national team call-up as India prepares to face Thailand in an international friendly on June 4. The match will be played in Thailand as part of the Blue Tigers' build-up to the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final 20-year-old striker from Srinagar's Bemina area has been rewarded for his impressive season with Mohun Bagan Super Giant, where he played a crucial role in their triumphant Indian Super League (ISL) coach Manolo Marquez announced a 28-member squad on Wednesday, all of whom will travel to Thailand. The squad also features the return of dependable East Bengal defender Anwar Ali, who had been sidelined since February with a hamstring injury.#BlueTigers' 28-member squad for the FIFA Friendly against ThailandJune 4Thammasat Stadium, Pathum ThaniMore details Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) May 28, 2025 Veteran striker Sunil Chhetri, who came out of retirement in March to help stabilise the team, also retains his place in the squad. The team has been camping in Kolkata for the past 10 days, undergoing a combination of morning gym sessions and evening on-pitch the camp, India played two practice matches to fine-tune preparations. On May 26, they defeated Santosh Trophy champions Bengal 2-1, with goals from Brandon Fernandes and Ashique Kuruniyan. The following day, they secured a 3-0 victory over North 24 Parganas, with Chhetri, Chinglensana Singh, and Udanta Singh on the are placed in Group C of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers, alongside Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The group stage will follow a home-and-away round-robin format. Their next competitive match is scheduled for June 10, when they face Hong Kong in Kowloon selection continues a proud legacy of Kashmiri representation in Indian football. Midfielder Danish Farooq was the last player from the region to don the national jersey, featuring in friendlies against Bahrain and Belarus in 2022. Before him, Mehrajuddin Wadoo stood out with 31 caps between 2005 and 2011, famously scoring the winner in the 2005 SAFF Cup final against who hails from Srinagar's Rainawari area, was also part of India's victorious campaigns in the 2007 and 2009 Nehru Cups and the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup. Other notable names include Mushir Ahmed, who debuted in 1985 against Thailand, and Abdul Majid, who captained India in three of his 33 appearances in the Blue Tigers are hoping to bounce back from a disappointing AFC Asian Cup 2023, where they failed to earn a single point or score a goal in group-stage matches against Australia, Uzbekistan, and squad for Thailand friendlyGoalkeepers: Hrithik Tiwari, Vishal Kaith, Gurmeet Singh, Amrinder Naorem Roshan Singh, Rahul Bheke, Chinglensana Singh Konsham, Anwar Ali, Boris Singh Thangjam, Sandesh Jhingan, Asish Rai, Subhasish Bose, Mehtab Singh, Abhishek Singh Suresh Singh Wangjam, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Ayush Dev Chhetri, Udanta Singh Kumam, Lalengmawia Ralte, Liston Colaco, Ashique Kuruniyan, Brandon Fernandes, Nikhil Sunil Chhetri, Edmund Lalrindika, Manvir Singh, Suhail Ahmad Bhat, Lallianzuala Reel
India Gazette
6 days ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
Focused, motivated and ready, Lallianzuala Chhangte eyes Asian qualification
Kolkata (West Bengal)[India], May 27 (ANI): The AFC Asian Cup is the pinnacle of football in the world's biggest continent. As Asia's best turn up on the grand stage every four years, it presents an opportunity to rub shoulders with them and prove your mettle. Winger Lallianzuala Chhangte's first experience at the showpiece event was in Qatar last year. Despite things not going India's way as they suffered three defeats, Chhangte proclaimed how big of a learning curve the AFC Asian Cup was for him and the entire squad, and how the Blue Tigers are taking those learnings forward as they battle for qualification for the 2027 edition. 'We were in the same group as some of the best countries in Asia (Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria). Even though the last Asian Cup wasn't the best experience, individually, I learned a lot in terms of making the right decision at key moments. As a team, I believe that that setback shaped our character and built us into better players and better human beings as well. Now, we're really looking forward to the next challenge. Right now, our main focus is to qualify for the Asian Cup again,' Chhangte told India will play Hong Kong in the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round on June 10 in Kowloon City. Before that, the Blue Tigers will play a preparatory friendly against Thailand on June 4 in Pathum Thani. 'The atmosphere in the camp is really positive right now. Everyone is focused, motivated, and ready to give their best every single day, especially after the setback against Bangladesh. Everyone wants to turn things around. Even the staff, physios, doctors, and masseurs have been so great with us, pushing us in every way they could. The camp has a lot of energy -- good and healthy competition, which is great,' Chhangte added. With 42 caps for the national team, the 27-year-old Chhangte is one of the most experienced players in the Indian squad. Among the current lot who are training in Kolkata, only Sunil Chhetri and Sandesh Jhingan had made their international debut before the Mizo winger. He was just 18 when he donned the India shirt at the 2015 SAFF Championship in Thiruvananthapuram, and also scored a stunning brace against Nepal in his second game. 'Playing for the national team is the highest achievement for a football player. And when you wear the shirt, when you have the privilege to represent your country, I feel you have to give everything. That's what I want to do every time I come to the camp. It's an amazing feeling, and I don't take this for granted. I want to make each day count and give my best for my country,' said Chhangte. Nine years and numerous accolades later, Chhangte doesn't carry the weight of the nation's expectations, but rather embraces it. Goals in the final of the 2023 Intercontinental Cup and 2023 SAFF Championship, and against Qatar in the World Cup Qualifiers last year, are a testament to that. He is a two-time AIFF Men's Player of the Year (2022-23 and 2023-24) and has won two SAFF titles, a Tri-Nation Series, and the Intercontinental Cup for India. With his club, Mumbai City FC, he won the ISL Shield Cup and the Player of the League award. 'I feel that when the expectations are high, it shows that you are not a normal player. I'm not trying to be pompous, of course, but when you've been delivering for your club and country, the expectations get higher from the fans, the coach and your teammates as well. I like that, and it pushes me to work even harder. Every single day on and off the pitch, the way I look after myself, the way I work -- it's all about being an example, especially for the young players. 'We are privileged to have great senior players around us like Sandesh bhai and Chhetri bhai. Personally, I've learned a lot from them as well.' With 46 goals, Chhangte is the second-highest Indian scorer in ISL history behind Sunil Chhetri. In the current Blue Tigers squad too, apart from Chhetri, nobody has scored more goals for India than Chhangte (eight). Each of those goals has something in common -- the celebration. 'I'm a believer, and every time I score a goal, I look up to the sky and say, 'God, that was you'. Because sometimes when I score, I know where it came from. Sometimes it just pops into my leg, and I simply don't know where it came from. So I just point to the sky and thank God for being gracious, for his blessings, and for being by my side every time I step onto the pitch,' Chhangte shared. (ANI)
