Gurpreet Singh Sandhu doubtful for upcoming Asian Games

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu may not get the nod from his club to represent the country at the Asian Games.

Indian national men’s football team is set to participate in the Asian Games that will take place in Hangzhou, China in September 2023. The squad for the prestigious multi-discipline meet saw the All India Football Federation (AIFF) pick U-23 players to give them exposure with three players over the age limit joining them, including Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

However, there are doubts hanging over Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s inclusion at the Asian Games. This is due to injuries to second and third-choice goalkeepers at his club Bengaluru FC. Officials at the club and the AIFF informed the Hindustan Times about the possibility of BFC not releasing Sandhu for the Asian Games due to injuries to Amrit Gope and Vikram Lakhbir Singh.

“We are struggling to even conduct training sessions,” said the official to HT suggesting the lack of depth in the goalkeeping department.

The 2023-24 season of the Indian Super League is slated to start somewhere in September and the dates could clash with Asian Games. In a scenario where Bengaluru FC do not have cover for Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, he may not get the approval of the club to represent India at the Asian Games. The clubs are not obligated to release players for the national team as the fixtures do not fall into the designated international fixtures window set by FIFA.

One of three seniors at the Asian Games

Three players over the age of 23 were selected to ensure strong Indian representation while India’s U-23 players made up the larger chunk of the team.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Sandesh Jhingan and Sunil Chhetri are the three senior figures in the squad for the Asian Games. If the goalkeeper situation at BFC does not improve, then it would likely cause Sandhu’s absence from the squad. “We can’t ignore Bengaluru’s injury problems,” Shaji Prabhakaran, AIFF Secretary General, said on Tuesday acknowledging BFC personnel issues.

India will play China on September 19, Bangladesh on September 21 and Myanmar on September 24 in Group A. The top two teams qualify into the knockout stages of the tournament while the best third-placed team also makes it into the next round.

India’s squad for the Asian Games in Hangzhou

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Gurmeet Singh, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem.

Defenders: Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Narender Gahlot, Lalchungnunga, Akash Mishra, Roshan Singh, Ashish Rai.

Midfielders: Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Apuia Ralte, Amarjit Singh Kiyam, Rahul KP, Naorem Mahesh Singh.

Forwards: Sivasakthi Narayanan, Rahim Ali, Aniket Jadhav, Vikram Partap Singh, Rohit Danu, Sunil Chhetri.

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