ISL 2023-24: Hyderabad FC vs FC Goa game to be rescheduled

The ISL game was set to take place on the 22nd of September.

The Indian Super League gameweek 1 clash between Hyderabad FC and FC Goa, has been postponed for the foreseeable future. The announcement was made through the league’s official social media handles on Friday. The game was to take place at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad.

While the reason behind the postponement remains unknown, it is being speculated that India’s Asian Games campaign is the reason why the game has been rescheduled.

Indian stars of both teams have been called up to the national team for the Asian Games. FC Goa’s centre back Sandesh Jhingan and Hyderabad’s Chinglensana Singh are among the big names from either side.  Moreover, the AIFF will be conducting a medical test of Naorem Mahesh Singh before taking the decision of his inclusion in the squad.

“It is indeed a positive development on the eve of the Asian Games as the reliable pair of Sunil Chhetri and Sandesh Jhingan will be manning two key positions in the Indian attack and defence, respectively, for the continental games. We are further happy that some more experienced footballers are there in the squad to strengthen our campaign,” said AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey on the selection of Jhingan, Chinglensana and Lalchungnunga (East Bengal).

Also, there is a high probability of other ISL gameweek 1 games being postponed due to the exact same reason, although nothing has been confirmed yet. 

India’s Asian Games campaign 

The Indian National team is all set to begin its awaited Asian Games campaign against China on the 19th of September. India’s participation in the competition highlights a crucial step in the government’s increasing focus on Indian football, as they made a special concession for the National team’s participation. 

India’s other two group opponents are Bangladesh and Myanmar, who they'll face on the 21st and 24th of September. 

India’s squad for Asian Games

Gurmeet Singh, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, Sumit Rathi, Sandesh Jhingan, Chinglensana, Lalchungnunga, Narender Gahlot, Deepak Tangri, Amarjit Singh Kiyam, Samuel James, Rahul KP, Abdul Rabeeh Anjukandan, Ayush Dev Chhetri, Bryce Miranda, Azfar Noorani, Rahim Ali, Vincy Bareto, Sunil Chhetri, Rohit Danu, Gurkirat Singh, Aniket Jadhav.