India’s prospects for the 2023 Asian Games football competition turned bleak after the All India Football Federation and the Indian Super League clubs failed to reach an agreement regarding the release of players by the clubs for the multidisciplinary continental meet.
Sandesh Jhingan and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – the senior players of the squad – are set to miss the Hangzhou Games as their clubs are reluctant to forego their services for the first few games of the ISL, which is starting from September 21.
The Blue Tigers play host China, Myanmar and Bangladesh in the Asian Games on September 19, 21 and 24, respectively. The clubs are not obligated to release players for the competition as it falls outside the mandated FIFA international window.
