Team India goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan believes that a good run in the Asian Cup has the perfect opportunity to further popularise women’s football in India.
“We stand at a very crucial juncture for women’s football or Indian football. Most of the girls in our team have seen the struggles that every other girl child has to face if they want to take up sports as kids. I can assure you, we represent every one of them at this stage – all of them who may have been deprived. We have girls from every corner of the country, and we fight for every girl from every nook and corner of India. We fight like one,” said Chauhan as per an AIFF release.
“Sports has an uncanny habit of impacting social lives, and we want to strive for such change. We do not just want to strive for victories. We are fighting for much more. We are fighting for women’s football, and we hope to make some impact in our country, no matter how small it is,” she added.
The Blue Tigresses are brimming with excitement, but are also cautious about their three opponents on Group A – IR Iran, Chinese Taipei, and China PR – who stand in their way to the quarterfinals; should they progress past the Group Stage and into the quarters, they will get a shot at qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia 2023.
India will take on IR Iran on January 20, Chinese Taipei on January 23, and China PR on January 26 in Group A of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. (ANI)
