The year 2009 has been quite eventful for Indian
football. The emphatic win over Syria in the Nehru Cup final for the
second time in a row gave India the much-needed thrust in this form
of sport. Indian ‘under 23’ football team also won the
SAFF Cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh by beating Maldives 3-1. Therefore
Indian football team saw success in both the levels – senior
and junior. With this encouraging success behind it, Indian football
is getting prepared for the bigger goal. By virtue of winning AFC
Challenge Cup in 2008, India has earned a place in the next Asia Cup.
It’d be interesting to see whether India can take this success
to carry itself to the next level and improve its current FIFA
ranking of 134 (as on December 16, 2009) or not.
Performance of
Indian Football Team in 2009
- Won ONGC Nehru Cup 2009 by beating Syria 5-4
in penalty shootout in Delhi
- Won SAFF Cup by beating Maldives 3-1 in
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Major Players
- Bhaichung Bhutia (Captain, India)
- Sunil Chhetri
- Subrata Paul
Last Updated on : 4 June 2010
