India has spent the last few months training hard for the Asian Championships, which begin on January 20.
The goal is to reach the quarterfinals, which would qualify the team for the World Cup 2023. If successful, Thomas Dennerby will be the first coach to take an Indian national football team to the World Cup.
- His great experience and knowledge is extremely important for the team, says national team goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan.
In India, football has long been in the shadow of the national sport of cricket.
The country has never played the World Cup on either the women's or men's side.
When Thomas Dennerby's player, who is between 16 and 30 years old, grew up, it was anything but obvious to play football, especially as a girl.
But as the results have improved, the sponsorship money has increased, as has the audience interest.
- It was really tough not to have support from anyone when I grew up and wanted to play football, but now we are on the right track.
The association invests as much in us as in the men, says player Dalima Chhibber.
Former Swedish national team player Jane Törnqvist, now a fitness coach, is also present in India.
Among other things, she will ensure that the players become more powerful.
Most weigh between 50 and 55 kilos, which makes it difficult in the melee game against much larger players.
- When we met Brazil, their players were "huge", they probably weighed 15 to 20 kilos more.
But many of the Indian players are nimble and we try to build on that, says Jane.
See the full report on India's football investment here:
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See the full report about Thomas Dennerby and India's national football team