- Tuesday, February 25, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
SEVEN-TIME champions India will kick off their South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship 2021 on Monday (4) when they take on Bangladesh at the National Football Stadium in Male, the Maldives.
The Blue Tigers have dominated the tournament more than anybody else, having lifted the crown seven out of 12 times. However, India last won the tournament in 2015 and lost the final to the Maldives 1-2 in the 2018 final in Bangladesh.
India head coach Igor Stimac said the championship would help the team in its preparation for the third round of 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, starting next February.
“We are going to try to use this tournament to improve a few more things, give experience to youngsters and try to win it,” he said.
“What we have been trying to do for the last two years is to start thinking only about ourselves and not to change our game with regards to our opponents. It’s not easy but it should be when we enter the third round of the qualifiers where we face different teams. The SAFF Cup puts us in the favourite position to win the tournament and we will justify it,” he added.
India’s first match will not be a cakewalk as they will take on a spirited Bangladesh who beat Sri Lanka in their opening game on Friday (1) by 1-0. In another game, Nepal stunned hosts and defending champions Maldives by 1-0. India have sent their full strength this time after their U-23 team finished as the runners-up in the last edition.
In their last meeting in June which was a qualifying game for the 2022 Doha World Cup, India defeated Bangladesh 2-0. But Bangladesh look to continue with their momentum under their new coach Oscar Bruzon. Bangladesh won the SAFF title only once and it was in 2003.
India captain Sunil Chhetri said his side couldn’t afford to play below their best with other teams in the South Asian region since they have improved their games over the years.
“Every game is going to be a war and a fight for our technicalities and our superiority. This is something none of us are mistaken about and we are going to take it seriously,” he said.
The world rankings of each South Asian team is beyond 100 with India having the best of the lot at 107.
