Football Federation Chooses Two Sikkim Girls For Asian Games 2018

The Indian women’s football team is going to participate at the Asian Games this year, happening in Indonesia from 18 August to 2 September. And the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has chosen Sikkim’s Lako Phuti Bhutia and Anju Tamang to undergo the preparatory camp from 15th June to 30th June 2018 in preparation of the Asian Games. Both Bhutia and Tamang are members of Sikkim’s Senior Division players.

The Sikkim Football Association president Menla Ethenpa congratulated both the players and expressed hopes that they don’t face problem getting selected in the final list. He urged the girls to give their 100% efforts in the camp and wished them best of luck

Bhutia comes from Sribadam in West Sikkim and is a product of the Mangalbari Women’s Football Academy. The defender honed her skills under Coach Palden Bhutia. In 2012, she qualified for the Under-19 National Team for the 2013 AFC U-19 Women's Championship in Malaysia. Bhutia became the fourth girl from the state to represent the National Team after Pushpa Chetri, Anuradha Chetri and Nima Lhamu Bhutia.

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Forward Tamang is the first woman footballer from the Darjeeling hills that the Senior Indian Football National Team has selected. Birpara-born and Kalimpong-raised Tamang made it to the Indian squad for the 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers. She will be part of the 23-member team that will seek to qualify for the main championship, going to happen in Jordan this year. India comes under Group B, along with South Korea, Uzbekistan, North Korea and Hong Kong. Only one team from the group will qualify for the championship.

AIFF is yet to decide the venue of the coaching camp.

Sikkim Football Association president Menla Ethenpa congratulated both the players. He hopes that they don’t face problem getting selected in the final list. He also urged the girls to give their 100% efforts in the camp and wished them best of luck.

Picture credit- Hamro Sikkim

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