Senior players laud road-map for the World Cup Qualifiers

As the Indian Senior Men’s National Team gear up to kick-off their campaign in the King’s Cup, senior members expressed satisfaction at the pathway laid down for the Blue Tigers ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Qatar 2022 which kick-off in September.
Iconic striker Sunil Chhetri, all set to become India’s most capped International players if he plays against Curacao on Wednesday (June 5, 2019), highlighted that the build-up to the World Cup Qualifiers “has been the way it should be”.
“It’s brilliant. We are playing Curacao, and then we get either Vietnam, or Thailand in the King’s Cup,” he reflected.
“And then we come back home and play in the Hero Intercontinental Cup where we play Syria, DPR Korea, and Tajikistan. They are strong teams. This is exactly what Indian Football needs. It’s a very good build-up for the World Cup Qualifiers which kick-off in September,” he maintained.
After India kick-off the season with the King’s Cup which concludes on June 8, the Blue Tigers will assemble again later this month for a preparatory camp for the Hero Intercontinental Cup, which is slated to be held at the TransStadia Arena from July 7-18, 2019. The World Cup Qualifiers are slated from September 2019, with the preliminary draw slated for July.
Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu said, “The upcoming five games, combining the King’s Cup, and the Hero Intercontinental Cup are of immense importance. “I want to applaud the AIFF for getting the kind of games they have set for us. Most of the oppositions look so tough, and are at a better level than us. That’s the kind of matches we need. The build-up looks great,” he opined.
“Such matches will make us tougher. For the World Cup qualifiers, you need to put your best foot forward. Under the new coach, the team needs those games to gel well.”
The King’s Cup is India’s first appearance in an invitational overseas FIFA Ranking tournament since 2001, the last being the Merdeka Tournament in Kuala Lumpur. Central defender Sandesh Jhingan maintained, “we need to battle shoulder to shoulder with stronger nations.
“We won’t grow unless we play tough opponents. Tough teams will present their own set of challenges as they will have tougher players. We need to battle shoulder to shoulder with them to see where we stand, and improve on our strengths. I am liking this trend of getting ready for the World Cup qualifiers by playing such games,” he explained.
“The ultimate goal is to qualify for the big tournaments. You have to dream big, to achieve big. I always believe in the philosophy of dreaming big, despite the chances being low. But it’s only when you dream big, you have the hope, and chances of achieving it stay more,” he stated.
– Courtesy of AIFF media
For Fixtures of Kings Cup: Visit here
Also Read: India U19 squad for Granatkin Memorial Tournament announced
Also Read: Some work & Some play make Blue Tigers a Better Team under the ‘Professor
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all the latest happenings in the world of Indian football.
Hero Elite League / I-league Under 18
IronBorn and Kenkre win by solitary goals
Kenkre and Iron Born romped to a comfortable win through Aman Gaikwad and Aniket Gunjal’s strike. In yesterday’s Hero Elite League fixture, Iron Born faced FC Mumbaikars in the opening…
MDFA Elite Division: Bank of Baroda score late to earn 3 points against Income Tax
A second-half goal by Bank of Baroda helped them secure all three points in their game against a strong Income Tax side. Lack of finishing in the final third combined…
Lenny Rodrigues injury time goal rescues a point for 10 man Goa against Kerala Blasters
A 10-man FC Goa denied Kerala Blasters FC their second win of the Hero Indian Super League after an injury-time strike from Lenny Rodrigues ensured a dramatic 2-2 draw at…
U17 Women's World Cup / Women Football
FIFA delegation satisfied with Ahmedabad for FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2020
Ahmedabad became the fourth venue to be inspected by a FIFA and LOC delegation in the ongoing inspection for FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2020. After the inspection, Mr…
Hero Sub Junior National Football Championship: Meghalaya beat Arunachal Pradesh to lift title
Meghalaya clinched the Hero Sub Junior National Football Championship 2019-20 title, after they beat Arunachal Pradesh by 3-0 in the final played at the Kalyani Stadium in West Bengal today…
Indian Football Team / Women Football
Indian Women’s football team began their SAG 2019 campaign with a big win
The Indian women’s football team began their South Asian Games 2019 campaign with a comfortable 5-0 win over the Maldives on Tuesday (December 3, 2019). Bala Devi grabbed a brace…
FC Goa look to stay unbeaten on the road
The FC Goa faithful will hope that their team will be back on track again with a positive result against a Kerala Blasters side that is yet to find its…
Hero I-League: New-look Punjab FC aim for a positive start against Churchill Brothers FC
The new-look Punjab FC are gearing up to kick start their Hero I-League campaign as they face Churchill Brothers FC tomorrow. Hero I-League is up and running and with…
Hero Sub Junior NFC: Meghalaya locks horn against Arunachal Pradesh in the season finale
The Hero Sub Junior National Football Championship 2019-20 finale is upon us, as Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh get set to face each other in the summit clash at the Kalyani…
I-League returns to Kalyani after 5 long years
History beckons as Hero I-League returns to Kalyani after five years, where both the Kolkata giants will be seen playing their home matches for the ongoing season. The Kalyani Municipality…
Maurya Foundation to conduct trial for TDFA Senior Division League
Maurya Foundation has announced that they will be conducting trials for the upcoming Thane District football Association Senior Division league on 23rd & 24th November 2019. The trials will go underway…
Sportsfort Academy to host trials for age group 6-16
Mumbai based Sportsfort Academy to conduct trials for age groups category (U-6 to U-16) on 2nd and 3rd November. Sportsfort Academy is a high excellence and premium academy aimed at…
MDFA Elite side Kenkre Football Club to host trials for 2019-20 Season
Kenkre Football Club will host their trials for the 2019-20 season on 22nd and 24th of October 2019. Over the years, Kenkre Football Club has become one of the top…
Wadoo Football School to organize football trials for girls for MDFA & WIFA Women’s League
Wadoo Football School of Excellence will organize their football trials for girls. The academy is owned by former Indian footballer, Mr Mehrajuddin Wadoo. The trial is scheduled for creating a…
Elite Division / MDFA / Trials
Bank of India to conduct trials for upcoming season
MDFA Elite Division side Bank of India will be conducting trials for its upcoming 2019-20 season in Mumbai league football After suffering a disappointing campaign last season where the club finished…
Indian Women's League / Trials / Women Football
Baroda Football Academy to conduct trials for womens team
Baroda Football Academy to conduct trials for their women’s team to participate in upcoming U17 Women’s league and Hero IWL Formed in the year 2008 BFA – Baroda Football Academy…
MDFA / Trials / Women Football
Samuel Football Academy to host trials for Women’s Football Team, IWL and MDFA
Samuel Football Academy(SFA) will be conducting their selection trials for their Women’s Football team, the Indian Womens League(IWL), and MDFA League. Mr. Daryl Samuel has been heading the team operations…
Spanish side Cadiz FC to host their 2nd edition trials in India
Once in a lifetime opportunity for budding footballers in the town. A professional Spanish football outfit – Cadiz FC is set to conduct their second edition trials in India. Selected…
MDFA / Super Division / Trials
Newly promoted Spartans Football Academy to hold trials
Navi Mumbai based Spartans Football academy will conducting open trials for its upcoming 2019-20 Super as well as Elite Division campaigns The club recently gained promotion from MDFA 1st division…
MDFA / Super Division / Trials
MDFA Super Division: Indian Culture League (ICL) to conduct trials
India Cultureal League (ICL) will be holding trials for their senior team which would take part in the Super Division of M.D.F.A League The team will be playing under the…