I-League and Africa: India's inherent inferiority complex

Earlier this week, the current Shillong Lajong boss, who had an impressive spell with the Pailan Arrows and also has spells as the Youth Coach of Tottenham Hotspur, Uzbekistan and the Phillipines senior national team on his CV, lamented about the lack of opportunities for young Indian strikers to develop into World Class players. His exact words were,

“The problem with Indian football is that you keep bringing in strikers from Africa.”

With about a quarter of a century of experience under his belt, the Englishman definitely has an idea what he is talking about. After all, Peter Crouch, “the taller than usual target man”, is a product of this individual’s fine coaching techniques.

However, Bulpin isn’t the only one who recognises this policy. Another coach who has pointed out the tendencies of Indian clubs to favour any kind of foreign talent in the league is current national team assistant manager Savio Madeira.

“All the 14 clubs in the I-League prefer playing with two foreign strikers upfront. However, you need to let the talented Indian strikers get some playing time.”

Looking at the problem that these two esteemed individuals have observed, we can see that you don’t really have to be an expert on the game in the country to recognise the problem. A quick glance at the stats can fortify this argument. At present, the top Indian goal-scorer of the I-league is Joaquim Abranches with 5 goals. He, however, stands 12th in the overall rankings behind foreigners of varied nationalities but similar region – Africa.

In order to look at this problem even closer, we have to go back a few years. Following the AFC Asian Cup 2011 Qatar Group Stage defeat to Australia, Bob Houghton blamed the defeat on the physical weakness of the Indian players and the lack of proper infrastructure available in the country.

Setting the second problem aside for the moment, we can see similarities between the mentality of Bob Houghton and other Indian coaches in the country, however different the accolades on their CV’s may be. While in charge of India, Bob Houghton emphasized on taller, stronger and relatively bigger players, irrespective of their on-field mentality to suit his “kick and rush” style of play. Genuine midfield maestros like Mehtab and Lalkamal were left out in favour of “The Tank” Mehrajuddin. Drawing similarities, Indian club coaches with a greater talent pool are able to hire “stronger” African talents rather than developing Indian players, something which has proved detrimental to Indian football over a sustained period of time.

Understanding this problem, the AIFF formed a team of their own comprising the “creme-de-la-creme” of Indian football’s young talents with current stars such as Lalrindika Ralte, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Manandeep Singh and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in the side. The idea behind this was that young Indian footballers who didn’t receive enough playing time at their respective clubs would play and be allowed to develop. Such was the talent showcased by these boys that two of them earned trials at top European clubs (Jeje at Glasgow Rangers and Gurpreet at Wigan Athletic). The reason was simple. Due to the fact that they were played on a regular basis, they improved and were noticed by coaches within and outside the country. Physical conditioning was a very important part of this side, and till date these boys are some of the fittest in the league.

Just yesterday, one of the rising stars of East Bengal FC (Seimlein Doungel) was loaned out to the Arrows and replaced in his parent club by Australian Andrew Barisic. Lenn, as he is known to his teammates and the East Bengal faithful, broke into the senior side at the age of 17, scoring 4 goals in 3 games (in the CFL) before being played in the I-League where he failed to have much impact and was quickly forgotten. He’s known for his excellent movement and vision, and will no doubt develop under the watchful eye of Aussie gaffer Arthur Papas at Pailan.

The creation of the AIFF XI (now Pailan Arrows) was a masterstroke by the AIFF, an organisation that garners controversy with literally every faltering step it takes. However till date, it is the only such team in the country – one with emphasis on development. However, even after the players develop, its highly unlikely that they are allowed to reach their peak, like Bhaichung Bhutia, Vijayan and Chhetri were allowed to do, as they go through what I call the Robbie Keane syndrome (scroll down for explanation) and aren’t given enough time to settle. Some are even left high and dry due to weak release clauses in their contracts, which give them little or no money after being fired (Sandesh Gadkari’s case with Salgaocar this season). The preferential treatment given to foreign strikers, particularly Nigerians, is quite evident. Taking the case of JCT Mills FC in the 2009-10 season, 2 below par Nigerian players were signed on the recommendation of an influential former footballer from the aforementioned African nation, limiting the chances of Indian players in the Punjabi club. Unlike their Indian counterparts, they were given enough time to prove themselves due to the achievements of their countrymen.

While many English clubs specify buying young “English” players to strengthen the team, this is rarely a case in India. The reliance on foreign players to form the core of many sides (Prayag United with Carlos Hernandez and Ranti Martins, Churchill Brothers with Beto, Bilal, Akram and Henry etc) put under the microscope seems quite short sighted. Quality overseas professionals without a doubt improve the standard of the league; however they do not help in developing the league in the long run. Arthur Papas himself has unwittingly outlined the problem.

“I mean, Carlos Hernandez is playing there and there are Nigerian players on AU$20,000 to AU$30,000 a month.”

In order to pursue short term glories of winning the league, many clubs spend a size able chunk of their budget on quality recruits for a season or a few, instead of developing a footballing atmosphere conducive for the development of homegrown youngsters. This results in a youth development system which is still not completely efficient or effective, barring a few enlightened clubs like Pune FC and Pailan Arrows, the latter an academy in their own right.

Clearly, the logic applied all over the world of bringing in talents better than ones present locally to improve the league seems to be failing in India due to a multitude of different factors. The framers of our constitution specifically adopted various acts of the British constitution, however modified them to suit the local needs. Similarly, the football authorities in our country need to enact various football-related legislations. A system of accommodation must be used, to maximize the benefit being acquired by certain pre-set guidelines. For starters, the role of an Indian player in a club could benefit if the 3+1 foreign players rule is modified to a 2+1 rule, barring a striker from being of a foreign nationality, while working out whatever loopholes may be present in the draft of the amendment. Further, a club must be made to invest a significant portion of its budget in infrastructural development to create a long term pipeline of young talent, so on and so forth.

To conclude, I feel a few clarifications are due. The influence of foreign players on the league isn’t necessarily a negative one. However, with a virtually non-existent scouting system, the purchase of foreign players in place of Indian players due to the colour of their passport (barring some obvious exceptions), when put under the microscope, seems more and more like a policy influenced by race. Foreign players aren’t really killing the league; however, their presence is negatively influencing the development of the league due to the short-shortsightedness of their employers.

The key phrase here can probably be, “Not no, just not now.”*Robbie Keane Syndrome – When Robbie Keane signed for Liverpool in 2008, the expectations surrounding him were very high. The first 10-odd games he played, he failed to deliver, and by the time he found his form, he had lost the trust of the manager, and was offloaded soon after.