The union sports ministry has finally responded to All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey and the secretary Shaji Prabhakaran's earnest requests and has decided to send the national football team to Hangzhou to participate in the Asian Games, to be held this September. The national team will take part in the mega-event after 2014. They were cleared for the Games in the last Jakarta Asian Games in 2018. 

According to sources close to the Union sports ministry, AIFF president Kalyany Chaubey initiated a lot in convincing the Union sports minister Anurag Thakur in a recently-held meeting. It is also learned that the AIFF president initiated the clearance of the national team's participation in the Asian Games after the sports ministry disallowed the national football team citing that the team was not within the top eight in Asia. 

Chief national coach Igor Stimac also made a request to the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi to intervene and give permission to the national football team to participate in the Asian Games. 

It is learned that the Union sports ministry has asked the AIFF president to send the best team to the Asian Games.