Indian men draw Jordan, UAE in Asian Games football

The Indian men's Under-23 football team will take on Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Group G while the women's team is placed in Group A with hosts South Korea, Thailand and the Maldives in the upcoming Incheon Asian Games.

The draw, which was announced Thursday, has 29 nations in the men's event where the teams have been divided into eight groups with five groups of four and three groups of three. The women's competition has 11 teams with two groups of four and one group of three.

Two-time winners India drew with UAE in the 2012 AFC U-22 Qualifiers in Muscat with a late equaliser from Dempo winger Romeo Fernandes while UAE bagged a silver medal at the 2010 Guangzhou Games, losing 0-1 to Japan in the final.

The women's team, on the other hand, will be taking part in only their second Asiad since 1998 where they failed to record any win going down to China, Chinese Taipei and South Korea.

The 17th Asian Games will start Sep 19 and will continue till Oct 4. The football competition though will commence five days prior to the Opening Ceremony, from Sep 14.