Women’s Asian Cup: After exiting the group stage, AIFF defends India’s preparations

AIFF director of national teams Subrata Paul on Thursday defended the preparations for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, describing them as «quite comprehensive» despite India’s group stage exit from the tournament in Australia.

The side were eliminated from the tournament after losing all three matches in Group C and ended the campaign with a 3-1 defeat to Chinese Taipei in Sydney on Tuesday.

Despite the disappointing results, the team showed fighting spirit in the last match and in the opener against Vietnam.

«I believe the preparation was actually quite extensive. The Indian team spent about 48 days abroad for exposure. The team played six matches in Turkey and two in Australia. Before that, they spent six days in Dubai and played two matches, and earlier had a 13-day camp in Shillong where they also played two matches,» Paul said. PTI.

“In addition, seven national team players represented East Bengal, where they played SAFF and AFC matches, and also participated in the Indian Women’s League (IWL), where they played six to seven matches.

“In total, the players prepared for about 67 days, playing 13 international matches and about 17 matches for their club,” added Paul, the former Indian goalkeeper who has also played in the men’s Asian Cup.

In its first appearance in the tournament on merit, India entered with the hope of progressing, but instead the team finished bottom of the group after losses to Vietnam (1-2), Japan (0-11) and Chinese Taipei.

“In our original plan, the intention was to complete the IWL before this tournament. However, at the request of East Bengal so that the AFC Women’s Champions League and SAFF Women’s Championship commitments could be fulfilled first, the competition schedule was adjusted.

«As a result, the girls played seven instead of all fourteen matches. Yet the core players were still given international matches, which was in the best interests of the national team. The AIFF remained flexible with the IWL schedule to support that goal,» Paul said.

The former India goalkeeper was asked whether it would have been better if Australia had organized more matches against national teams instead of matches against club sides in the run-up to the tournament.

«You have to understand that to play against other national teams you need a FIFA window, and in each window a team can usually only play two matches. We used the available windows to play against Uzbekistan, Iran and Nepal. We also had a match against North Macedonia scheduled, but unfortunately that couldn’t go ahead due to last-minute visa issues.»

“As this was the first time in the history of Indian women’s football that we were participating in the final round of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers, we made every effort to provide the national team with as many international matches as possible,” Paul said.

The locker room needed someone like Amelia

AlFF technical director Sabir Pasha defended their decision to appoint Costa Rican Amelia Valverde as head coach of the women’s team less than two months before the Asian Cup, saying they needed someone of her caliber to steer the team in the right direction.

When asked what the thinking was behind that, Pasha said: “As you all know, Amelia brings valuable experience, having coached Costa Rica to the World Cup in 2015 and 2023. The dressing room needs someone who has operated at that level before, and I believe her experience has helped the girls immensely.”

An investigation has been launched into the kit controversy

AIFF Deputy General Secretary M. Satyanarayan said the federation has already asked its integrity officer to conduct a thorough investigation into the player kit controversy that took place just 48 hours before the Indian team’s opening match in Australia.

“The moment the issue was brought to my attention, we took immediate action. Within six hours we arranged new kits that met the best global standards to ensure the players had what they needed. Our priority was to address the issue quickly so the team could fully concentrate on the tournament.”

«At the same time, I have asked our integrity officer, a retired CBI officer, to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and submit a detailed report. Once the report is received, we will review the findings and communicate further if necessary,» Satyanarayan said.

The AIFF came under heavy criticism after players received ill-fitting jerseys, prompting the senior members of the squad to send a letter to the federation requesting the correct size kits.

When asked if the team could have done better, Paul said: “We hoped that they would qualify for the World Cup this time. Over the past three years, participation and representation in women’s football has grown significantly, with the AIFF hosting several women’s tournaments, including the ASMITA Women’s Leagues, which have played a significant role in increasing opportunities for players across the country.

«The match against Chinese Taipei was one of the best performances of the Indian women’s national team. Manisha’s world-class goal reflected the quality and character within the squad. A penalty against India and two soft goals proved costly. The match against Japan showed that the defensive organization at the highest level of international football must be absolutely watertight.»

“Overall, the girls played extremely well. We could have won against Chinese Taipei and even drawn against Vietnam, and this team certainly had the merit to advance to the next round.”

Published on March 12, 2026