The sponsorship will cover training, conditioning and incentivising the Indian national rugby teams (men and women) participating in international rugby events. India also managed a 13-match unbeaten streak under Constantine which ended with a 1-2 loss to Kyrgyz Republic in the final group stage game of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.The partnership is part of the State Government’s mission to develop, promote and expand the sports ecosystem beyond hockey and football. Under Constantine, India reached their highest FIFA ranking since February 1996 when they were ranked 96 in July 2017. The side went out of contention for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the second round of Asian qualifying round.ĭespite this failure, India managed to qualify for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup after a 4-1 victory over Macau. Stephen Constantine was rehired as coach of the national side. India reached their lowest FIFA ranking of 173 in March 2015. But Koevermans failed to take the side to the 2015 AFC Asian Cup and also ended up losing to Afghanistan 0-1 in the final of the SAFF Championship. Wim Koevermans was installed as manager and India won the 2012 Nehru Cup. India won the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup with ease despite Houghton replacing many of the old legs of the team with fresh faces.īut under new coach Savio Medeira, India had the worst AFC Challenge Cup in March 2012 after they lost all the three group stage matches and failed to score a goal. They bowed out of the tournament after failing to win any of their games. India were drawn with Australia, South Korea and Bahrain in Group C of the tournament. As a result, India qualified for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. Houghton then led India to the AFC Challenge Cup which they won beating Tajikistan 4-1 in the final. In 2007, India won the Nehru Cup after beating Syria 1-0 in the final under tutelage of Bob Houghton. They lost the final to Uzbekistan U21 0-1. Under Stephen Constantine, India beat Zimbabwe, a side ranked 85 places above India in the FIFA rankings en route to the final. In 2003, India participated in the Afro-Asian Games held in Hyderabad. India won the inaugural SAFF Championship in 1993. It was the first hat-trick scored by an Asian in the Olympics.Īlthough India lost their foothold in Asian football, they still exerted their dominance in South Asia. The tournament is much remembered for Neville D’Souza’s hattrick against Australia in the quarter-finals. They lost the third-place playoff 0-3 to Bulgaria. Two years later, India pulled off their best ever finish at the Olympics when they finished fourth. India returned to the 1954 Asian Games as defending champions but failed to proceed beyond the group stage. After this, AIFF made it mandatory for players to wear boots while playing. The following year, India failed to make progress in the Olympics after losing 10-1 to Yugoslavia in the first round. India beat Iran 1-0 in the final with the goal being scored by Sahu Mewalal. Rahim led India to their first triumph in the 1951 Asian Games which was hosted in India. The architect of this success was the coach Syed Abdul Rahim. They also finished fourth in the 1956 Olympics. India won the gold medal in the 19 Asian Games. Since then, India have not come close to qualifying for the FIFA World Cup.ĭespite this setback, India went onto enjoy the most glorious years in its footballing history in the next 15 years. But it is believed in wide quarters that India refused to participate since FIFA did not entertain their plea to allow their players to play barefoot. The AIFF gave reasons like travel costs and importance of Olympics over World Cup for their refusal. Remarkably, India after qualifying, refused to participate in the tournament. India were invited to be a part of the 1950 FIFA World Cup after a number of countries withdrew from the qualifiers. However, India missed a couple of penalties and were dealt a blow when Rene Persillon snatch a winner in the dying embers of the game. But the Indian players who were playing barefoot and were buoyed by the crowd soon equalised. The Europeans scored the opening goal in the contest. Independent India played their first football match at the 1948 Olympics in London. The earliest example of the Indians showcasing their talent in football was in 1911 when Mohun Bagan beat East Yorkshire Regiment 2-1 to win the IFA Shield. The Durand Cup, which was inaugurated in 1888 is the fourth oldest existing football tournament in the world.
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