Int’l football returns to Chennai today

CHENNAI: International football will return to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here after a long time on Wednesday, when the India women’s team hosts neighbour Nepal in the first of two friendly matches.

The second friendly match will be held at the same venue on Saturday (February 18). For the Thomas Dennerby-coached India team, the games will serve as preparation for the AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifiers first round, whose Group G matches will be held in April.

Addressing the media ahead of the first match, Dennerby, on Tuesday, said: “We are not looking for results at the moment. We are looking to build a team for the Olympic Qualifiers. These matches are part of that process.”

Four players from Tamil Nadu – Indumathi Kathiresan, Sandhiya Ranganathan, Karthika Angamuthu and N Sowmiya – have been included in the India squad for the friendlies. Midfielder Indumathi, who accompanied Dennerby for the press interaction, said that she cannot wait to don the national team colours on home soil.

“It is such a privilege for us (four of them) to represent India in our home state. I have been living in Chennai since my college days. Women’s football in Tamil Nadu has been growing over the years. I hope that we can inspire more young girls to not only take up the sport but also continue playing in the future,” said Indumathi.