(Football News) After weeks of uncertainty regarding their involvement in the Asian Games later this year, both the Indian men’s and women’s football teams have been given the green light to compete in the continental event in Hangzhou. The announcement was made by Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Twitter on Wednesday.

Thakur stated, “Our national football teams, both men’s and women’s, are all set to participate in the upcoming Asian Games. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, has decided to relax the rules to enable the participation of both teams, even though they did not qualify based on the existing criterion. Taking into consideration their recent performances, the Ministry decided to grant this relaxation. I am confident that they will give their best performance at the Asian Games and bring pride to our country.”

The participation of both Indian teams at the Asian Games had been uncertain because the Sports Ministry had originally stipulated, through a communique to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and all the National Sports Federations (NSFs), that “only those sports which have achieved a ranking up to eighth among participating countries of Asia in the last one year should be considered for participation in Asian Games” for team events.

India is presently ranked 18th among countries under the Asian Football Confederation. In a similar manner, the Indian football team was denied permission to participate in the 2018 Asian Games by the IOA due to its failure to secure a top-8 ranking in Asia.

Initially, the AIFF (All India Football Federation) had shortlisted 40 players for the tournament, which is specifically designed for Under-23 players, with the allowance of three footballers over the specified age limit to be included in the squad.

The Asian Games are scheduled to take place in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8, with the football competition commencing on September 19.

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