Credit: Twitter
After the Government of India disallowed the men's and women's football teams to participate in the upcoming Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China, many football fans and experts criticised the decision. Recently, the Indian men's team head coach Igor Stimac has made a "humble appeal and sincere request" to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur to allow them to prove their mettle at the continental level.
The Indian government on Sunday denied the Blue Tigers' participation in the Asian Games 2023, scheduled to take place from September 23 to October 8 after the King's Cup in Thailand, as the Indian football team did not match the Sports Ministry's requirement of being ranked among the top-8 sides in the continent.
On Monday, July 17, the Indian team's head coach, Igor Stimac, who has a major contribution to India's triumph at the recently-concluded SAFF Championship, requested PM Modi and the Sports Minister to allow them to participate in the continental showpiece. The 55-year-old Croatian took to his Twitter handle and wrote, "A humble appeal and sincere request to Honourable Prime Minister Sri @narendramodi ji and Hon. Sports Minister @ianuragthakur, to kindly allow our football team to participate in the Asian games 🙏🏽 We will fight for our nation’s pride and the flag! 🇮🇳 Jai Hind!"
Apart from Stimac, AIFF Secretary General Shaji Prabhakaran also stated that they will appeal to the government to "reconsider the decision" and said, "This is a decision taken by the government. So, we have to abide by it. However, we will make an appeal to the government to reconsider the decision as far as football is concerned. The Indian team's performance this year has been extremely encouraging. It will be a great boost for football, especially for the U-23 boys, if they get an opportunity to play in the Asian Games."
