Crispin Chettri said it’s always tougher to manage a women’s team than the men’s counterpart.

“It’s a difficult job for the simple reason that women are biologically different from men. You have to take into account a lot of things when you are managing a women’s team. It’s not an easy job. Women footballers are prone to injuries because of their physical build and that’s something we have to work on regularly,” Chettri, India’s national women’s team coach, told The Telegraph from Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Sunday.

India’s women’s team booked a berth in the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup to be held in Australia, defeating Thailand 2-1 in a Group B qualifying match in Chiang Mai on Saturday.

Bengal girl Sangita Basfore, who plays club football for the current Indian Women’s League champions Emami East Bengal, scored both goals.

It will be India’s first appearance at the Asian Cup since 2022, when they participated as hosts but were forced to withdraw due to a Covid-19 outbreak in the squad. The last time India qualified outright was in 2003, when the Qualifiers did not exist in the present format.

Thailand are also ranked 24 places higher, as India are 70th in the Fifa rankings.

The man from Kurseong, who has coached the men’s team of Lonestar Kashmir FC and was an assistant coach in Mohammedan Sporting, said women footballers are much more patient than men. “They have come this far, facing a lot of hardships. Their struggles against all odds make them more patient and tenacious and give them the
will to fight.”

Chettri has a point. Even though Indian women have been making their mark in the world of sport for decades, the social barriers are still too high to be demolished and the mindset is deeply patriarchal. The first reaction of her family when a girl shows interest in any sport is ‘why’?

Chettri, who also manages Odisha FC’s women’s team, said he would like to continue in women’s football. “If we plan properly, we can qualify for the Fifa Women’s World Cup. I am not shooting off my mouth. It’s realistic and we can make it happen,” he said.

The main round of the Women’s Asian Cup starts in seven months Down Under, and Chettri wants to plan as early as possible.

“The 53-day camp (in Bengaluru) before the Qualifiers helped. (Emami) East Bengal will also play in the preliminary stage of the 2025-26 AFC Women’s Champions League, where they will compete against tough opponents. Our squad has six from East Bengal, so that’s an advantage.”

Cash incentive

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has announced a cash incentive of $50,000 to the women’s squad on Sunday. The AIFF also promised the best possible preparation.

Last month, on the eve of the men’s national team’s 2027 Asian Cup qualifying match against Hong Kong, the AIFF had announced a similar incentive if they beat the hosts.

The men failed, the women did not.