August 27 – Cricket-crazy India may be one of the great untapped football markets but the vast country could be at risk of losing government funding before they head to next month’s Asian Games following the recent demoralising defeat to arch-rivals Pakistan.
The Indian Olympic Association has sent a list of more than 900 people to the sports ministry for approval ahead of the September 19-October 4 Games in the South Korean city of Incheon.
But local reports suggest football funding may suffer.
The Indian team, primarily featuring under-23 players that will make up the squad in Incheon, won the first warm-up match against their bitter rivals 1-0 but went down 2-0 in the next last week.
India, twice Asian Games football champions in 1951 and 1962, are ranked 150th in the world and will find it tough in Incheon where they are grouped with the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
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