Ryan Williams, who currently plays for Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League, has previously represented Australia at the international level. The 31-year-old winger, who has Indian roots through his mother’s Anglo-Indian family from Mumbai, is awaiting final clearance from Football Australia before being officially registered to play for India.

Abneet Bharti, a 27-year-old centre-back, plays for Academia del Balompié Boliviano (ABB) in Bolivia. Bharti holds an Indian passport and has been invited to the national camp on a trial basis, where the coaching staff will assess his fit within the squad.

The inclusion of both players reflects the AIFF’s intent to widen the national team’s pool by considering Indian-origin players with experience in overseas leagues. The training camp, set to take place in Bengaluru, will prepare the team for their qualifier match scheduled in Dhaka later this month.

If cleared and selected, both Williams and Bharti could make their first appearances for India, adding international exposure and depth to the squad as preparations continue for the Asian Cup qualification campaign.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all the latest happenings in the world of Indian Football.

The post Williams and Abneet Bharti earn call up for Indian National Team Camp Ahead of Asian Cup Qualifiers appeared first on Football Counter.

In a freewheeling interview, Sandhu speaks at length about the significance of qualifying to the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, the changes in the squad, the resilient back-four, the art of defending and much more.

EXCERPTS: 

What does it mean for you to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019? 

The last time in 2011 I was in the squad and it was a huge experience for me. Since then, qualifying for another edition of the AFC Asian Cup had been a priority for me. The Asian Cup is a stage where you would want to play in your career simply because you get to play against the best in Asia, all of whom are very talented players. It’s the platform from where you can learn a lot to mature as a player.

What has changed in the squad in the last 12 months? 

I think we have become stronger as a unit with every passing game. The work rate has been exceptional and the biggest plus point stays that we have been consistent for the last 12 months. The results are ample proof of that.

The Goalkeeper and the back four’s contribution often goes unnoticed. What are the strengths of India’s back four? 

Such is the nature of the game (laughs aloud), but I need to put this straight. Our good run cannot be attributed to just the back four or the goalkeeper or the midfielders or the strikers. The whole team needs to be credited including the bench. In all of our games, we have defended together as a team and have stayed patient for our breakthroughs.

Which has been the most satisfying victory in recent times? 

To me the away victory against Myanmar followed by the victory against the Kyrgyz Republic in Bengaluru will always stay on the top of the list (so far). Both Myanmar and the Kyrgyz Republic are extremely good sides who are very difficult to play against. Victories in those two matches put us in a very advantageous position to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019.

-Courtesy AIFF Media

Also Read: India defeat Turkmenistan 3-0 in final AFC qualifiers group game

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more updates on Indian Football

The post We have become stronger as a unit: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu appeared first on Football Counter.

The Indian Senior National Team’s preparatory Camp for the forthcoming AFC Asian Cup Qualifier match against Myanmar began today (November 6, 2017) in Mumbai. The squad will be camping in Mumbai till November 11 and proceed to Goa the next day.

The match against Myanmar is slated for November 14, 2017, the kick-off of which is at 8 PM. From the list of 28 probables announced earlier by National Coach Stephen Constantine, all players barring an injured Rowllin Borges and Nikhil Poojary have attended the camp. Both Rowlin and Nikhil picked up injuries while training for their respective Club and have hence, been ruled out for the match against Myanmar.

India have already qualified for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 and sit pretty on 12 points by virtue of winning all their four matches so far. The last time the two teams met in Yangon, India won by a solitary goal margin, a gem of a goal scored by Captain Sunil Chhetri.

Constantine said: “We may have already qualified for the Asian Cup but that doesn’t mean we will take this game lightly. It’s time to work hard again and am looking forward to working with the boys.”

Also Read: India open AFC U19 qualifiers campaign on a disastrous note

The list of probables stay as follows:

GOALKEEPERS: Subrata Paul, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Vishal Kaith.

DEFENDERS: Pritam Kotal, Lalruathatthara, Anas Edathodika, Sandesh Jhingan, Salam Ranjan Singh, Sarthak Golui, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Narayan Das.

MIDFIELDERS: Jackichand Singh, Udanta Singh, Pronay Halder, Anirudh Thapa, Germanpreet Singh, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Md. Rafique, Bikash Jairy, Halicharan Narzary.

FORWARDS: Sunil Chhetri, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Allen Deory, Hitesh Sharma, Balwant Singh.

-Courtesy AiFF Media

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more updates on Indian Football

The post Rowlin Borges, Nikhil Poojary to miss Myanmar game appeared first on Football Counter.

A day prior to the match, Constantine isn’t much willing to read into the new Indian record which his team has achieved of winning nine matches in a row (including the unofficial match against Bhutan). Instead, in a freewheeling interview, he stresses on taking one match at a time reminding that every match starts afresh. He also speaks his mind out on the pressure on the team, the acid test and much more. EXCERPTS:

St Kitts and Nevis Head Coach Jacques Passy has already expressed his intentions of winning against India. How would you rate them as opponents?

I think he’s correct. They haven’t travelled the other side of the world to lose. We can’t afford to expect anything less than a tough fight from the Caribbean boys. They are a tough bunch and a very skilful team. At the end of the day, it’ll be a very difficult game for us.

Can we expect to see a few more boys debuting for the Senior National Team against St. Kitts & Nevis?

I have to see (smiles). Truly speaking, I’m not aware of it at this moment. We had a terrific game against Mauritius in the second half and we’d definitely be looking forward to having another positive game against St. Kitts & Nevis.

With each win, is the pressure and expectation of winning mounting on the players?

I don’t believe so. We take one game at a time. What we did, its history now. Every day starts afresh and we only get to look forward. As I’ve mentioned before we have a long way to go. A ticket to the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 is yet to be confirmed which our ultimate goal is.

Before the AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Macau, is the next match going to be an ‘acid test’ for your team?

Not really. We’d better treat it just like another game. It’s better to be called as the preparatory game before the Macau game – the same manner as we treated the game against Mauritius the other day.

What’ll be your message to the fans in Mumbai ahead of taking on St. Kitts & Nevis?

This is our third game in Mumbai in last two months. Right from the Puerto Rico game, the Mumbai crowd have always been behind us, cheering for us throughout the 90 minutes which have always provided us with the extra bit of energy to push our limits.

But, if you ask me now, I want the support to go one step up in the next match. You don’t know when will we play again in Mumbai, hence, better you come in numbers to support your team to the Mumbai Football Arena and I believe, bookmyshow.com is the best way to do that.

Also Read: Legends El Clasico to be held in Mumbai

Jinghan too looked confident for the game with captain’s armband, enjoying the role very much and the armband is really what entrusts him with the extra responsibility, “Representing the National Team itself is an honour. This armband is a bonus and it has come to me with a great responsibility. Sunil Bhaiya is our real leader but until he’s not there, I’m enjoying the role,” Sandesh exuded.

Lauding the “mental strength of the squad,” Jhingan pronounced: “Yeah, we did concede early in the last match. But we did not panic. Conceding is a part of Football but we knew we could come back strongly and we eventually got the three points.”

The post Records Are History As Every Match Starts Afresh: Constantine appeared first on Football Counter.

After back-to-back wins against Myanmar and the Kyrgyz Republic in the first two fixtures, India will fly to Macau for their third match in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Qualifiers Group A match.

The boys would be assembling in Chennai on August 11, 2017.

Meanwhile, it’ll be the first Senior National Team Camp for Sarthak Golui, Davinder Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Anirudh Thapa and Manvir Singh who showed their grit in the recently-concluded AFC U23 Championship Qualifiers in Doha.

Out of the 34 players who are called upon by Constantine for the forthcoming camp, there’ll be 10 players who donned the National colour in the recently-AFC U23 Championship Qualifiers in Doha.

The list of probable stays as follows:

Goalkeepers: Subrata Paul, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Albino Gomes, Vishal Kaith, TP Rehenesh

Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan, Arnab Mondal, Anas Edathodika, Narayan Das, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Lalruatthara, Salam Ranjan Singh, Sarthak Golui, Davinder Singh

Midfielders: Dhanapal Ganesh, Jackichand Singh, Seityasen Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Bikash Jairu, Milan Singh, Udanta Singh, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Md. Rafique, Rowllin Borges, Halicharan Narzary, Germanpreet Singh, Anirudh Thapa

Forwards: Jeje Lalpekhlua, Sumeet Passi, Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh, Balwant Singh, Manvir Singh

The post Nikhil Poojary included in the squad called for Senior National Team camp appeared first on Football Counter.

India’s best position in over a decade

Having won 9 of their last 11 games which includes a 4-1 thumping win over Puerto Rico back in September meant the blue tiger has kept on improving their points tally since last year.

India currently has a total of 243 points, which is higher than their previous figure of 217, propelling them up by six places from the December ranking. On the Asian front, India is now 19^th in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) rankings which is topped by Iran, placed 29^th in FIFA ranking. From the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) list, Maldives are placed 145^th, Bangladesh 190^th, Nepal 175^th, Bhutan 176^th, Sri Lanka 196^th and Pakistan 197^th while India continue to dominate the rankings among its neighbors.

Also Read: Mumbai FC players in safe hands of medical experts from Fortis Hospital, Mulund

The Top 34 Rankings saw no change as Argentina, Brazil and Germany still holding the top 3 spot. Suriname are the best movers as they jumped 22 places from 150 to 128, just above India while Trinidad and Tobago(83), Mauritania(113), Afghanistan(151) & Bangladesh(190) were all the worst movers losing 5 positions.

AIFF’s target of being in Pot 2 for Asian Cup 2019 Qualifiers draw was achieved as the National side has kept on improving in its Ranking, despite playing zero friendly games since September.

The blue tiger’s win over then higher ranked side Puerto Rico combined with reduced values of points from World Cup qualifiers losses and perceptive shrewdness from our football board as ensured that the National side get an easy draw for the 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers.

The post India Jump 6 places in January FIFA Ranking appeared first on Football Counter.