Shillong, Apr 27: India came fourth in the IBSA Asian Men’s Blind Football Championship 2026 in Osaka, Japan, over the weekend.
Meghalaya’s Klingson Marak was part of the national team. (He can be seen ninth from the left in the photo.)
India lost the third place playoff 3-1 to Thailand. They had earlier lost in the semifinal round to eventual champions China 3-0.
India started out with a 2-0 defeat to hosts Japan before winning 6-0 against Iran (via walkover) and 5-0 versus Australia. Iran had been due to participate but had to pull out of the tournament.
China won the final against hosts Japan 1-0.
Klingson, a Kiang Nangbah Awardee in 2023, is a regular in the Indian blind football team. Last year he scored a hat-trick against Uzbekistan and he also led Meghalaya to a fourth national title.
In blind football, a five-a-side game, all players except the goalkeeper are blindfolded and are assisted by a coach and a goal guide. The players are guided by the sound of the ball, which contains bells. The goalkeeper, goal guide (who stays behind the opposite goal) and the coach (who runs along the side of the pitch) are the three sighted assistants who call out and direct the players to move with the ball and to shoot.
