Even though the end of the year has come, but the brilliant performance of the charismatic footballer Sunil Chhetri continued this year, but the Indian football team dropped 11 places in the FIFA rankings and was initially eliminated in the World Cup Qualifier and Asia Cup. There were some forward-looking decisions in Indian football this year, in which the All India Football Federation (AIFF) reduced the 12-season-old I-League (after 11 years as the National Football League) to second-class competition in domestic clubs. According to media reports, the top level was taken over by the breathtaking Indian Super League, which started much later in 2014. Most clubs were on one side and the federation on one side, but the AIFF recognized the ISL as a top-level league after the intervention of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The ISL winning team will now get a chance to play in the continent's top-level Asian Champions League while the I-League winners will play in the second-tier AFC Cup.
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The positive thing is that AIFF President Praful Patel became the first Indian to be elected in the world's most popular sports governing body, FIFA Council. India was also given the hosting rights for the FIFA Women's U-17 World Cup in 2020. India started the year with 97th place in FIFA rankings but with 2 wins, 4 draws and 7 defeats, the team slipped to 108th at the end of the year. However, it was good to play a draw in the 2022 World Cup qualifier match against the defending Asian champions Qatar.
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New coach, New hope: It is being said that the team got the best coach in the form of Igor Stimak of Croatia who was a member of the 1998 World Cup bronze medalist team. He was elected after Stephen Constantine resigned after the Asia Cup in January. Captain Chhetri (35 years) is playing his best football in the last 2 years and he surpassed former captain Baichung Bhutia in terms of playing matches for India. He then defeated Argentine magician Leonal Messi (70 goals) in the list of active international goalscorers and he is second behind Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo (99). He has scored 72 goals in 115 matches.
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