An open letter to Sachin Tendulkar by an Indian football fan

Members of the Indian football team during a practice session in Greater Noida on Tuesday, 21st August 2012. (Photo by Qamar Sibtain/India Today Group/Getty Images)

The FIFA rankings don’t look too good, with India on a downslide for the last ten odd years, falling below teams like Afghanistan with virtually no money.

There would be few names that would crop up above MS Dhoni in terms of popularity in the country. To add to all this, with the Ranchi lad having allied with EPL as their ambassador in India, we die hard Indian football fans are worried further.

As an endeavour to lift India’s own league, we plead to you- Sachin Tendulkar, popular across the world – to come ahead to be the brand ambassador of the I-League. There is no one more popular than you, the little master, in the country and with you now being a Member of Parliament, the responsibility to raise the level of sports in the country is greater than ever.

As nice a man as you are, we are sure you would agree to take it forward, because you being a sportsperson know the amount of talent we have in our country. It’s just about giving that boost, that spark to help the game rise from the ashes. Not only would it get more eyeballs, it will give it a commercial aspect to work upon, to go with a host of young players looking up to play the sport.

A plethora of celebrities ranging from Bollywood superstars and other star sportsmen in the country have been vocal of their love for the game, and despite Pepsi launching their campaign of “change the game”, neither has the game changed nor much in the game.

Unfortunately, a lot of it is concerned with European football. There is still no support for Indian football. No one has ever turned up in an Indian football club match or the national team’s match. Though they have no obligation to do it, it certainly is a moral responsibility to see the game you love make progress in the country.

As huge an Indian market is for football, given the La Liga shifted their timings to suit Indian viewers and the EPL is coming up with Hindi commentary, we are waiting for some change happening in the Indian scenario – a trickle-down effect on Indian football.

With the U-17 World Cup in sight, Indian football is standing at a critical juncture, with one wrong move taking India 10 years back, while with your support, the game will rise manifolds and more youngsters would be prompted to take up the beautiful game. And as Swami Vivekananda said: “You will be nearer to Heaven playing football than through study of Gita.”

There hasn’t been much effort on part of the governing body in the country, failing to market the league well, though the onus lies on commercial partners IMG-Reliance. AIFF haven’t pushed them enough properly.

We had a Dutch Technical Director in Rob Baan, who boasts of a huge experience in the game. And being a native of the Orange land, Baan put his footballing knowledge to the best to formulate a Lakshya 2022 plan as a roadmap for Indian football.

We fans had hope, but a year down the line, the TD is set to snub a contract extension as he is gutted with the way football is being run here, and his plan ‘Lakshya’, one year into its inception, is still a mere document of some 125 pages. Where do we have hope? Where do we go from here? When can we see good? When will our persistence pay? Will it ever? A lot depends on you, Sir!

With you there, I see full stadiums, all out support, with Manchester United jerseys replaced by an Indian club jersey, sponsors jostling to be associated with the league, someday Indians supporting their own nation in the World Cup. At least I dream of this, seeing it come true with your inevitable support.

I hope you will understand the concerns and oblige us. Though our body AIFF hasn’t approached you, I know somewhere deep within me, having followed you for over 20 years, you will do something to try nicking in a change. After all, you were the one who said recently- “I hope India qualifies for the 2022 World Cup.” To be very frank with you, as things stand, forget 2022, we are not going to make it even in 2042 without your support and much more.

We know the god of one religion (cricket) is secular and would help other religions as well (football). And given that happens, I see the writing on the wall—– a happy story for Indian football.

Thanking You,

Sincerely,

A true Indian football fan (and a big Tendulkar fan – the entire country is. Respect for you, Sir!)