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India Gazette
25-05-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
Blue Tigers can't wait to rectify past mistakes, says Sunil Chhetri
Kolkata, (West Bengal) [India], May 25 (ANI): Sunil Chhetri is the only Indian player to record an appearance in three AFC Asian Cups, according to a release from AIFF. The path to reach Asia's showpiece event is always a gruelling one. From scoring that unforgettable hat-trick way back at the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup final, which led India to the 2011 Asian Cup, to now battling for qualification for the 2027 edition in Saudi Arabia, Chhetri's longevity in the national team is unmatched. Between 1960 and 2007, India had only qualified for two Asian Cups. And now, as the Blue Tigers aim to script history by making it to three successive Asian Cups for the first time, Chhetri tags it as a 'bare minimum' requirement for the nation. But it's a year-long journey of qualification and the boys must take things 'game by game'. 'We should qualify for every Asian Cup, and it's mandatory. But I don't want to put pressure on the boys and the team. Let's take one game at a time. Hong Kong, of course, is going to be very crucial. But yes, for India, it's a bare minimum to qualify for the Asian Cup, so that we can test ourselves with the best in Asia and keep proving that we are improving,' said Chhetri. India were held goalless by Bangladesh on Matchday 1 of the Qualifiers in March, and will next face Hong Kong in Kowloon City on June 10. Before that, Manolo Marquez's men will play Thailand in a preparatory friendly on June 4 in Pathum Thani. 'The initial feeling after the Bangladesh game was that we let ourselves down, let the country down,' said Chhetri. 'And after I saw the replays, I thought we, as a team, could have done so much more. It was a huge opportunity to take the lead in the table, playing Bangladesh at home. We should have done so many things better. Ending up with just a point, I think we players have no one else but ourselves to blame. We didn't turn up the way we should have. And that is the reason why we drew the game. We've talked about it, we've seen the videos, and we can't wait to rectify it.' No one knows the hustle of the Asian Cup qualifiers better than the 40-year-old. After all, he has been the talisman in the previous three qualifying campaigns. The hat-trick against Tajikistan at the Ambedkar Stadium in 2008 ended India's 27-year wait for an Asian Cup appearance. The last-minute winner against Myanmar and that sensational strike against the Kyrgyz Republic in 2017 eased India's path to the 2019 tournament. Another Chhetri moment came in the 2022 qualifiers, when he scored a stunning free-kick against Afghanistan at the Salt Lake Stadium. Not to mention the brace against Cambodia. And so, despite India not making the best of starts to the current campaign, Chhetri knows that the road is a long one and there's a healthy amount of time available to put things on track. The work for the June FIFA window began in Kolkata on May 19, and with five full training sessions under the belt, everything is going as per plan so far. 'The first five days have been more about the physical aspect of the game. As the coach mentioned, many players have come in at different physical stages. To bring everyone on the same page for the first few days was quite intense. 'All the boys look good, everyone looks sharp and confident. We also had some video sessions where we had a lot of learning to take on board. Everything looks good,' said Chhetri. On May 28, the Blue Tigers will travel to Thailand, where they will have a few more training sessions before squaring off against the hosts at the Thammasat Stadium on June 4. The squad will subsequently depart for Hong Kong for their first away match of the qualifiers. Apart from the physical and technical preparation, the most important and simple need is to 'turn up,' according to Chhetri. 'The coach has got a bit of time to formulate a plan. We players have to make sure that we take everything on board and be in sync as to what the plan is, and go and try and execute it to the best of our ability. But more importantly, the mistake we made against Bangladesh was that we didn't turn up. And all the preparation, the technical aspect put aside, you have to go and show up. You just have to go and give whatever you have. 'We saw some clips of Hong Kong. We will watch more of them. But I think, right now in the stage that we are, we are thinking more about ourselves and slowly we'll progress into what the opponent is and how they play,' Chhetri said.(ANI)
News18
25-05-2025
- Sport
- News18
'Let Ourselves Down...Can't Wait To Correct It': Sunil Chhetri Hungry For 2027 Asian Cup Qualification
Last Updated: India aims to qualify for three consecutive Asian Cups for the first time. Chhetri calls it a 'bare minimum' and emphasizes taking it game by game. Between 1960 and 2007, India qualified for only two Asian Cups. Now, as the Blue Tigers aim to make history by qualifying for three consecutive Asian Cups for the first time, Chhetri describes it as a 'bare minimum' requirement for the nation. However, the talisman striker admits that the year-long qualification journey requires the team to take things 'game by game'. 'We should qualify for every Asian Cup; it's mandatory. But I don't want to pressure the boys and the team. Let's take one game at a time. Hong Kong is going to be very crucial, but for India, qualifying for the Asian Cup is the bare minimum. It allows us to test ourselves against the best in Asia and shows that we are improving," said Chhetri. India was held goalless by Bangladesh on Matchday 1 of the Qualifiers in March and will face Hong Kong next in Kowloon City in June. advetisement Before that, Manolo Márquez's team will play Thailand in a preparatory friendly on June 4 in Pathum Thani. 'The initial feeling after the Bangladesh game was that we let ourselves and the country down," said Chhetri. 'After watching the replays, I thought we, as a team, could have done so much more. It was a huge opportunity to take the lead in the table, playing Bangladesh at home. We should have done many things better. Ending up with just a point, I think we have no one but ourselves to blame. We didn't perform as we should have, and that's why we drew the game. We've discussed it, watched the videos, and we can't wait to correct it." Despite India not having the best start to the current campaign, Chhetri knows there is ample time to get back on track. 'All the boys look good, everyone is sharp and confident. We had some video sessions with many lessons to learn. Everything looks positive," said Chhetri. On May 28, the Blue Tigers will travel to Thailand for additional training sessions before facing the hosts at the Thammasat Stadium on June 4. First Published: May 25, 2025, 16:23 IST
RTHK
13-05-2025
- Sport
- RTHK
HK bow out of women's futsal Asian Cup
HK bow out of women's futsal Asian Cup The SAR players celebrate a goal from Wu Choi-yiu (#8). Photo courtesy of the Football Association of Hong Kong, China The SAR women's futsal team held their heads high on Tuesday despite being eliminated from the AFC Asian Cup, losing 5-2 to Thailand in the quarter-finals. It's the first time Hong Kong, China have reached the last eight of the competition, but top-ranked Thailand proved too strong in the showdown in the Inner Mongolian capital, Hohhot. The Thais opened the scoring in the first minute and raced to a 5-0 lead, before midfielder Wu Choi-yiu got one back for the SAR before halftime. Defender So Hoi-lam scored in the second half but that was as close as Hong Kong, China got. Speaking after the match, So said she was nervous early on, noting that the SAR lost to the youth teams in Thailand during training there. Despite a big deficit at the break, she said she regained her composure and played better after the coach's halftime team talk. "We achieved our target of making the quarter-finals, showing to the world, to Asia, that the women's football team from Hong Kong, China, can do it," So said. She described the team's journey as a dream come true. "Hopefully we can advance to even later stages in future Asian Cups," she added. The football association's futsal manager, Tsang Wai-chung, praised the team for showing the Hong Kong spirit, saying they never quit all tournament and always fought hard even when they fell behind. He said their performance showed there's room for the development of futsal in Hong Kong.
Hans India
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Hans India
SAFF U19 is a good platform to start preparing for AFC U20 Qualifiers: Bibiano Fernandes
Yupia Arunachal Pradesh): Bibiano Fernandes, one of the most successful coaches in Indian men's youth teams' history, having qualified the Blue Colts to three successive AFC U16/17 Asian Cups from 2018 to 2023, is now set to begin a new cycle with a new batch of players. It all starts with the SAFF U19 Championship that will kick off on May 9 in Yupia, Arunachal Pradesh. Fernandes has a 100 percent record at SAFF age-group championships, winning all three tournaments he has led India in (U15 in 2017 and 2019, and U17 in 2022). The 48-year-old now not only targets his fourth but also looks forward to nurturing a strong squad for next year's AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers. "We all know that the AFC (U20) Qualifiers are the main target, and I've been talking to the boys and trying to raise the bar. We need to do a lot of work with these boys to prepare them for next year. For sure, there will be more of them coming into the camp. This SAFF is a good platform to start preparing for it," said Fernandes to AIFF's media team. The Blue Colts begin their campaign in Group B against Sri Lanka on May 9 before taking on Nepal on May 13. Both matches will kick off at the Golden Jubilee Stadium, which also hosted the 2023-24 Santosh Trophy Final Round. While Fernandes has coached India U15, U16, and U17 before, this will be his first time leading the U19 side. But he's already familiar with many players — five of the 23-member squad were also at the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2023. He has coached a few others during his time at Bengaluru FC over the last two years. Apart from them, there are 11 players born in 2008 who worked under Ishfaq Ahmed until last year and narrowly missed out on qualifying for the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2025. Most of them have already won the SAFF U16 and U17 trophies in 2023 and 2024, respectively. "I followed Ishfaq's batch last year. I think they did really well, and we could have qualified for the Asian Cup. Ishfaq and I spoke about the players. I took feedback from him about what he thinks about the players. That really helped me as well. 'Also, we were all following the RFDL, where they were playing and performing for their clubs. Classic (Football Academy) players made it to the final and played so many matches," said Bibiano. Eight of Classic's players are in the squad, the most from any club. "There is a difference between the under-16 and under-19 or under-20 players because they get more mature with age. They can take the information quickly and apply it in the field than the under-16 or under-17 players. I've seen the difference as they keep playing more matches. The Asian Cup, the qualifiers, a lot of matches in RFDL, which is also a good level – these are all tournaments that have helped these boys mature to a certain level,' he added. Closer to the tournament, Bibiano's focus has been on playing as many practice matches, both in Bengaluru, where the team began the camp, and in Arunachal Pradesh after arriving on April 30. The Blue Colts are staying in Naharlagun, eight kilometres from the match venue. "We played three practice matches in Bengaluru against some of the top senior military teams. It was encouraging to see the boys playing really well there. And then we travelled here a week ago and played a match on Monday evening. We've been training under floodlights, knowing all our matches in the SAFF will be in the evening. So yeah, the team is shaping up well. "It's always nice to be early, to understand the things here and get acclimatised. The ground in Bengaluru was completely different from the stadium where the tournament will take place. It may rain here anytime. It may also be that we play the second half in the rain, and the first half is completely dry, and vice versa. Training here for a few days helps us to get ready for all the factors which we might come across,' said Fernandes. Fernandes also acknowledged the warm welcome at the Donyi Polo Airport in Itanagar last week and the hospitality received so far. "We had a very good welcome at the airport. Lots of fans and media were present at the airport. We feel really welcome here. I urge the local people to come to the stadium and watch the under-19s play and support them. What I can promise from the team's side is that we will give everything on the ground. We will not leave anything behind. Make sure to come and support us in every match,' he concluded.
Reuters
12-04-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Salman wants AFC to consider awarding 2031 and 2035 Asian Cups at same time
April 12 (Reuters) - Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa suggested that the votes for hosting the 2031 and 2035 Asian Cups be held together after confirming a record seven nations had expressed interest in hosting the 2031 finals. Australia, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and a joint bid from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan informed the regional body of a desire to host the tournament before last month's deadline. "I'm delighted to report that the bidding process for the AFC Asian Cup 2031 has received a record level of interest with seven bidders signalling their intent," Sheikh Salman told the AFC's annual congress in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. "This remarkable response underscores the bright future of Asian football, and I express my sincere gratitude to all the member associations who have submitted their interest." India has never hosted the tournament, which started in Hong Kong in 1956, while South Korea, one of the continent's strongest on-field performers, last organised the competition in 1960. None of the Central Asian nations, who gained AFC membership in 1994 following the break up of the Soviet Union, have hosted the finals. A date has yet to be set to decide the winning bid, and Sheikh Salman wants the confederation to consider also awarding the rights for the 2035 event at the same time. "I have requested that the AFC administration explore the possibility of presenting both the bids for 2031 and 2035 editions for the approval at the same congress when the time comes," he said. "This will provide the host member association a longer runway to ensure that we continue to elevate our standards." The 24-team Asian Cup is held every four years, with the next edition to be played in Saudi Arabia in 2027. Qatar hosted the most recent tournament in early 2024, six months later than originally scheduled, due to China's withdrawal as organisers.
