India national football team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname | The Wonder Boys, The Bhangra Boys | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Association | All India Football Federation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach | Bobby Houghton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Captain | Baichung Bhutia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home stadium | Salt Lake Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA code | IND | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA ranking | 165 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest FIFA ranking | 94 (February 1996) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lowest FIFA ranking | 165 (March 2007) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elo ranking | 160 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First international France 2 - 1 India  (London, England; July 31, 1948) |
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Biggest win India 7 - 0 Ceylon  (Bangalore, India; December 16, 1963) |
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Biggest defeat USSR 11 - 1 India (Moscow, USSR; September 16, 1955) |
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| AFC Asian Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 2 (First in 1964) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | Runners-up, 1964 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The India national football team is the national football team of India and is controlled by the All India Football Federation. It is a member of the Asian Football Confederation, and a member of FIFA.
India qualified by default for the 1950 FIFA World Cup as a result of the withdrawal of all of their scheduled opponents. However, they did not take up their place in the competition because FIFA demanded all players at the World Cup finals should wear football boots. A number of the Indian players refused to abide by this rule and the team was forced to withdraw; the team has never since come close to qualifying for the World Cup.
India also finished 4th in the football tournament at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, and won the 1962 Asian Games Gold medal, and reached the semi-finals in the next two Asian Games tournaments in what became known as the golden era of Indian football.
More recent successes have been limited to the South Asian Football Federation Cup, and the LG Cup won in Vietnam in 2002 under English coach Stephen Constantine.
The Indian team is currently being coached by the well-travelled Englishman Bobby Houghton, who was appointed in June 2006. He has plied his trade for around 30 years in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, North America and Europe with considerable success.
Despite lack of international success and high profile players (current captain Baichung Bhutia is the only contemporary Indian squad member to have played professional football, for Bury in the English Football League), the sport is widely followed in several regions of the country, most especially Goa, West Bengal and Kerala. Television coverage of matches in the national league has recently started, and the AIFF undertook a 7-year sponsorship deal with Nike in February 2006.[1]
Contents |
[edit] World Cup record
- 1930 to 1938 - Did not enter
- 1950 - Qualified by default, but withdrew
- 1954 - Entry not accepted by FIFA
- 1958 to 1970 - Did not enter
- 1974 to 2006- Did not qualify
[edit] Asian Cup record
- 1956 - Did not enter
- 1960 - Did not qualify
- 1964 - Second place
- 1968 - Did not qualify
- 1972 to 1980 - Did not enter
- 1984 - Round 1
- 1988 to 2007 - Did not qualify
[edit] South Asian Football Federation Cup record
- 1993 - Winners
- 1995 - Runners Up
- 1997 - Winners
- 1999 - Winners
- 2003 - Third Place
- 2005 - Winners
[edit] AFC Challenge Cup record
- 2006 - Quarter Finals (India entered with an under 20s team, coached by Islam Akhmedov from Uzbekistan)
