India’s hopes of qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup ended on Tuesday.
The 2-1 loss in the Group C match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa, meant Khalid Jamil’s men will have nothing to play for in the remaining two qualifying matches and beyond. That is till the next cycle of qualifiers for the 2030 World Cup and the 2031 AFC Asian Cup start in 2027.
To be fair to India, they did not play badly on Khalid’s home debut as national coach, probably the best in the last two and a half years. But the age-old syndrome of missing chances and conceding soft goals doused the flame.
“I don’t want to blame anybody. It is my mistake,” said a dejected Khalid at the post-match news conference on Tuesday night.
“The sinking feeling of not being in the 24-team finals was very glaring.
Khalid’s pitch was queered when his predecessor, Manolo Marquez, had the baton.
The draw at home against Bangladesh and the loss to Hong Kong away had already put their chances in jeopardy.
The All India Football Federation asked Manolo to oversee the team from the summer of 2024. The dual role of handling FC Goa and the national team was too much to ask from the Spaniard.
“That was a telling blow. Coaching, be it club or country, is a full-time job,” an Indian coach, who did not wish to come on record, said on Wednesday.
AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, himself a former goalkeeper, agreed that India’s failure to advance to the main round was a setback. He, however, showed full faith in Khalid.
“We will bounce back under him,” he told The Telegraph.
Shabbir Ali, former India captain and present member of the AIFF technical committee, said: “He is giving youngsters a break.”
True that Khalid has blooded youngsters, unlike his predecessors, and is expected to continue with that. In all likelihood, the senior players like Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose, Rahul Bheke and Liston Colaco, to name a few, would be phased out. India Under-23 players like Suhail Bhat and Mohammed Suhail are waiting to be elevated to the senior team. It remains to be seen if Sunil Chhetri, who came out of retirement in March this year, will stay.
India’s struggle on the international stage also had a lot to do with the clubs’ refusal to release players. From the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023 till the Asian Cup qualifiers, the team suffered.
“The national team’s good performance also helps the clubs,” a former player said. “Let the AIFF put its house in order and then engage us in a dialogue,” is what the clubs say in their argument.
The blame game continues. Fans watch helplessly as the Indian senior national team goes from bad to worse.
