India clubbed with China, Bangladesh and Myanmar

HANGZHOU: The Indian men’s football team has been clubbed with China, Bangladesh, and Myanmar for the Hangzhou Asian Games in a relatively easy Group A, while the women have Thailand and Chinese Taipei in Group B.

The draw was conducted here on Thursday. The Indian men’s and women’s football teams’ participation at the quadrennial extravaganza was confirmed after the Sports Ministry decided to relax the existing selection criteria. There are six groups in the men’s competition. The top two teams from each group and four best third-placed teams will advance to the round of 16.

As far as the women’s competition is concerned, the top team from each group and the three best second-placed teams will progress to the quarterfinals. India enjoyed success in men’s football in the Asian Games, winning gold in the inaugural edition in 1951 and repeating the feat in 1962.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had earlier refused to clear the Indian football teams for the Games on the ground that they were not ranked in the top-8 in Asia. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) then made an appeal to the Sports Ministry to allow the two sides to take part in the prestigious event with national senior team head coach Igor Stimac also seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention.