Asian Games Football: India face Kuwait in opener

The 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China will only open on November 12, but the football tournament starts tomorrow so the 24 team tournament can be finished by the end of the games. The India Under-23 face Kuwait in their opening Group D match tomorrow at the Huadu Stadium in Guangzhou.

The two other teams in the group are defending champions Qatar and Singapore, who also face each other tomorrow. India then face Qatar on November 9 and Singapore in their final group match on November 11. The top two teams from each group will move into the pre-quarterfinals and the four of the six best third placed sides will also make it to the Round of 16.

The India Under-23 is being coached by seasoned Sukhvinder Singh. In December 2009 the squad had won the South Asian Football Federation Championships in Dhaka, Bangaldesh; but since then the squad has only played one friendly game. That was last month a 1-3 loss against Vietnam in Cuttack, which the coach termed as an important test ahead of a training camp in China.

Sukhvinder Singh goes into the tournament without any additions from the senior national team as Bob Houghton didn't release anyone from his 30 members squad. The Asian Games might have been good exposure for boys like Govin Singh, N. Mohanraj, Jagpreet Singh or Baljit Singh Sahni, but it also would have hampered Bob's preparations for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup.

The Asian Games are an Under-23 football tournament which allows three overage players like in the Olympics. In Sukhvinder's squad captain Joaquim Abranches is 25, while Karanjit Singh and Denzil Franco are 24 years old. The squad is a good mix which has a number of young talents from the Under-20 squad of the AIFF XI.


Likely India Under-23 Line-up

Laxmikant Kattimani; Denzil Franco, Rowilson Rodrigues, Dharmaraj Ravanan, Robert Lalthalma; Joachim Abranches, Manish Maithani, Jewel Sheikh Raja, Jibon Singh; Jeje Lalpekhlua, Balwant Singh