The Asian Games is Asia's multi-sport event, normally held every four years. The games are regulated by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Football was first introduced as a sport at the inaugural edition of the Asian Games, which was held in India in 1951. The India national team hosted five other national teams, winning the competition to become the first Asian football champions; the AFC Asian Cup began in 1956, two years after the formation of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). India competed in eleven Asian Games between 1951 and 1998, missing the 1990 and 1994 games. The team won a gold medal at the 1962 Games and a bronze in 1970. For the 2002 Busan Asian Games, the rules were changed so that only under-23 national teams were allowed to compete. India's U-23 national team has not yet won a medal at the Asian Games.
Background The Asian Games is Asia's continental multi-sport event, held every four years. The Asian Games Federation (AGF) organizing the games from the first edition in New Delhi until 1978. After the breakup of the AGF, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has organized the games since 1982. The games, recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), are described as the world's second-largest multi-sport event (after the Olympic Games). The 1951 Asian Games are considered the successor of the Far Eastern Games and the Western Asiatic Games. The Far Eastern Games were held nine times between 1913 and 1938 in Japan, the Philippines, and mainland China. The 1938 games in Osaka were cancelled due to the Second Sino-Japanese War (which became part of World War II), and the Far Eastern Games were then discontinued. During the early 1930s, efforts were made to organize a multi-sport event to include the countries of West Asia. This gave birth to the Orient Championship Games, which was renamed the Western Asiatic Games before its first inception. The games' geographic scope included the countries east of Suez and west of Singapore. The first edition was held in Delhi in 1934 at the Irwin Amphitheater, and four countries—Afghanistan, British India, Palestine Mandate, and Ceylon—participated. The decision was made to hold these games every four years, at the midpoint between the Summer Olympics. The 1938 Western Asiatic Games, scheduled to be held in Tel Aviv, were cancelled and abandoned with the outbreak of World War II. Football was one of eight sports played at the inaugural edition of the Asiad in New Delhi, and has been part of every edition since.
Golden era 1951: Host and champion Draws and rules Guru Dutt Sondhi, chair of the executive committee for the first Asiad, hosted a New Delhi conference on February 25, 1951, where the draw for the 1951 Asian Games was held. At the conference, it was announced that Afghanistan, Burma, India, Indonesia, Iran and Japan would participate in the tournament. Matches would be played in two 30-minute halves with a five-minute interval, and 15 minutes of extra time with a one-minute interval when a result is not produced within regulation time. Japan and Afghanistan received byes to the quarterfinals. The winner of the Iran-Burma match would play Japan, and the winner of the India-Indonesia match would play Afghanistan. The Philippines withdrew from the tournament before the draw. All matches were played at National Stadium in New Delhi.
First Asia champion India played barefoot on a pitch that measured , slightly narrower than international standards. However, FIFA had granted prior approval for the use of the pitch. On 5 March 1951, India made its Asian Games football debut against Indonesia with Sailen Manna as captain and Syed Abdul Rahim as coach. India's off season lacked match practice, and their passing and understanding were poor in the opening quarter. Indian forwards Sheoo Mewalal and Pansanttom Venkatesh pressured the Indonesian defense from the start, however, with good passes by center–half Chandan Singh Rawat. The score remained goalless until the 27th minute when Singh passed to Venkatesh, who sent the ball into the six-yard box towards Mewalal. Mewalal headed the ball past the goalkeeper to give India the lead, the first Indian goal-scorer at the Asian Games. India settled down in the second half; in the 42nd minute a corner kick by Mewalal was deflected off Indonesian right–back Chairuddin Siregar into the net, giving India a 2–0 lead. Three minutes later, Indian outside–left Puthanparambil Saleh ran down the wing; his shot rebounded off the bar. Mewalal tapped the ball to Venkatesh, who scored his first goal to give India a 3–0 victory and a place in the semi-finals.
Rahim made three changes to his team for the semi-final match against Afghanistan on 7 March. Kenchappa Varadaraj replaced Berland Anthony in goal, T. Shanmugham replaced Muhammad Noor in midfield, and Santosh Nandy replaced Saleh at left wing. Afghanistan had a physical, rough playing style; two players were sent off the field, and two more were cautioned by the referee. India forwards Mewalal and Venkatesh continued to impress with their runs, passing, ball control, and shooting, resulting in another 3–0 victory before about 15,000 spectators.
The first goal came in the 10th minute when Mewalal passed to Venkatesh, who shot from outside the penalty box. They reversed roles for the second goal, with Venkatesh setting up Mewalal for a shot to the far corner of the net in the 16th minute. India continued to dominate in the second half, but several shots hit the crossbar. The third goal for India followed a goalmouth melee, with Nandy scoring to send India to the final.
India played in a 2–3–5 formation throughout the tournament. In the final against Iran on 10 March, goalkeeper Anthony was brought back into the starting lineup. The match was dull and scrappy from the start, with the barefooted Indian players reluctant to tackle the booted Iranians. The 25,000 spectators were disappointed with India's first-half performance. The defense of captain Manna, T. Papen and goalkeeper Anthony, however, was praised for saving three goal-scoring chances. Rawat was clinical in his tackling and clearances, and his consistent passes to the forward line were valuable. Inside-right Guha Thakurta and Mewalal kept the Iranian defense busy in the first half. India scored in the 34th minute; Thakurta sent in a cross from the right wing, which Mewalal trapped and volleyed into the net. India defeated Iran in the final for their first-ever Asian Games gold medal and Asia championship. Mewalal was the tournament's highest goalscorer.
1954: Early exit The 1954 Asian Games were held in Manila in May. On 1 May, the draws for the tournament were announced. Twelve teams participated, seven for the first time. India was drawn in Group C with Indonesia and Japan. The winners of each three-team group would advance to the semifinals; the winners of the semifinals would play for the gold medal, and the losers of the semifinals would play for the bronze medal. Match length was increased to 80 minutes, with two 40-minute halves. India were the defending champions. Memory of the squad's worst defeat (1–10 against Yugoslavia at the 1952 Olympics) was still fresh, although they had won the 1953 Colombo Cup a few months earlier. The team was led by Manna and managed by Balaidas Chatterjee.
India won the first group match against Japan, 3–2. Centre-forward Syed Moinuddin scored two goals, and right-out Joe D'Sa scored one. Japan's two goals were scored by right–in Takashi Takabayashi and centre-forward Taizo Kawamoto. On 3 May, however, India was defeated in the next (and final) group match by Indonesia 0–4. Indonesia forwards Djamiat Dhalhar and Andi Ramang scored a brace, giving India an early exit from the tournament.
1958: Misfortune India bounced back at the 1958 Asian Games under coach T. Shome. Fourteen teams participated, with Israel and Malaya making their debut. The matches had two 45-minute halves, with an additional 30 minutes if tied in a knockout game. India was drawn in Group B with Burma and Indonesia, and the top two teams advanced to the knockout stage. They began the group stage with a 3–2 win against Burma, with Chuni Goswami, Tulsidas Balaram and D. Damodaran scoring. In the second match, Indonesia repeated their 1954 Asiad victory with a 2–1 win; Thio Him Tjiang scored twice for Indonesia, and Mohammed Rahmatullah scored for India. India defeated Hong Kong 5–2 in the quarterfinals, with Rahmatullah scoring twice and Goswami, Balaram, and Damodaran scoring once. This gave India a medal chance, since Hong Kong was the third-seeded team in the tournament.
India lost to South Korea 1–3 in the semifinals, unable to overcome tired legs from the previous matches. The players lacked coordination, and strikers could not convert passes from the wingers. Few chances were created by India, and the Korean defense (including goalkeeper Ham Heung-chul) was well-organized. Rahmatullah scored India's only goal in the first half, and Choi Chung-min, Lee Soo-nam and Moon Jung-sik scored for South Korea in the second half. India faced Indonesia again in the bronze-medal match, losing 4–1 before 45,000 spectators. Although India attacked well in the first half, their execution failed. Indonesia scored their first goal in the 10th minute with a corner kick by Saari, who curled the ball into the net; Balaram equalized for India in the first minute of the second half from a penalty kick. However, Omo Suratmo and Wowo Sunaryo scored two goals in the 59th and 60th minutes for Indonesia. Phwa Sian Liong finished off a solo run to score Indonesia's fourth (and final) goal in the 88th minute.
1962: The Golden Trio Overview and draws
The Ministry of Finance nearly pruned the football team from the Indian contingent for the 1962 Asian Games as an austerity measure. After several rounds of talks with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), however, the ministry approved the team's participation.
The initial draw was conducted on 14 August 1962. Eleven teams were drawn in four groups, including defending champion Republic of China. Indonesia, the host country, denied visas to the delegations from Israel and the Republic of China for political and diplomatic reasons; this led the International Amateur Athletic Federation and the International Weightlifting Federation to withdraw their sanction for the games.
Indian sports administrator Guru Dutt Sondhi, vice-president of the Asian Games Federation (AGF) and the IOC observer at the 1962 games, said that they should not be called the "Fourth Asian Games" to safeguard the competition's status. This was misinterpreted by the game organizers, the Indonesian press and government and the people, who became hostile towards the Indian contingent. A revised draw was held on 24 August 1962, with eight teams divided into two groups. India was in Group B with Thailand, Japan, and South Korea. The draw included provisions for the possible participation of Israel and the Republic of China.
Second gold: Indian football's greatest achievement
After Balaidas Chatterjee and T. Shome failed to give India a medal in the previous two outings, Syed Abdul Rahim was again given responsibility for the team in the 1962 Asiad. Since Rahim guided India to the first Asian Games gold medal and the semi–finals of the 1956 Olympics (India's best Olympics result to date), the team was expected to perform well. Rahim (who had cancer) had the best possible forward line of P. K. Banerjee, Chuni Goswami, Tulsidas Balaram, who became known as the "golden trio of Indian football". Rahim's squad also had the best defense line, which included Jarnail Singh, Arun Ghosh, Chandrashekar Menon and Trilok Singh.