REAL REASONS
1. We don’t care
We can say whatever we want to and whatever we feel like about the condition of football in India, but the bottom line is that the majority of Indian football fans are not fans of Indian football. The country’s youth are a bunch of Arsenal/Man United/Barcelona/Real Madrid/etc supporters. Very, very few of them can name the Indian national team’s starting 11 or even the coach for that matter. They look down upon Indian football as poor (which it is in comparison, in all honesty), and don’t have any emotional attachment to Indian football whatsoever. This is what is hurting us. Most of them know their favourite European club inside out right from the first team squad members to the youngest academy player, but knowledge of Indian football is limited to Sunil Chhetri and the retired legend Bhaichung Bhutia only(many would believe that he is still playing).
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They would rather spend big money going to a pub to watch a North London derby than spending a fraction of that on a National Football League match that was being held in the stadium a mere mile from the pub. It’s only in Goa, Bengal and Kerala that the classes are somewhat interested in the local game.
One of the biggest recent slaps in the face for football was when the money allocated for football was almost halved in the Union Budget for sports. The relation between popularity of the sport in the country and the attention given to it by the government seems to be inversely proportional. But can you blame them when interest for Indian football has remained pretty much the same over the years? It’s only interest in European football that’s risen exponentially.
2. Nobody else cares
This is a cricket-crazy nation. Or rather, it has become one. Football was actually the more popular sport in the 50s and 60s, but after India won the ’83 cricket world cup, the roles reversed and never looked like changing. Cricket is a tiny sport with about 8 nations who are really competitive. After winning the world cup, India must have fancied its chances with such odds, and pumped all resources and attention to this one sport. Now we’re too far gone with the IPL, the money in the sport and the clout BCCI has in international cricket. As a result, the reward of being a cricketer, in comparison with other sports (and especially football) is now too, too big. Which leads to societal and parental pressure.
There’s glamour and prestige associated with being a cricketer, especially for the national team. You are a batsman for a Ranji Trophy team? Good. You are a batsman for Mumbai Indians? Great! You bat for India? WOW! You are a striker for Dempo? Better quit and get a degree.
3. We lack facilities after a certain level
Football doesn’t need much facilities. This isn’t golf or tennis, it’s a common man’s sport. The best footballing nation of all time, Brazil, is full of players who grew up in poverty.
Facilities play a major role in football at the stage when a talent is spotted and there is a need of proper grooming and moulding of that talent. That is where India falls behind. Even when a player with huge potential is spotted, he doesn’t get the right environment and conditions to mature as a footballer. These players do not get noticed or recognised by the common people. They do not get support from anybody.
Other than that there is no relation between facilities and player quality (which is one of the beautiful things about football). You hear so many stories from all of South America and Africa in fact, about players like Luis Suarez or Didier Drogba (he learnt football playing in a parking lot) who were born poor, got noticed and are now big names. India doesn’t have such stories because, as said before, football is discouraged.
POTENTIAL MEASURES
1. No sponsors
Football club cannot be run by well-wishers. They need sponsors. We need to find good sponsors to bring in fresh ideas. If there is a properly run football club, if they play good football, Indian fans have supported them (like East Bengal of the earlies 90s and Mohun Bgan of the 60s). We need to identify the areas where we lack. Sponsors can be brought only when there is some sort of financial gain. Players need to be paid regularly. Nobody will risk his skills if he is scared getting his dues in the end. The clubs should not simply depend on the gate collections.
2. Start small and earn big
We have seen many sports following the IPL model. Some gained but some lost. Rather than going behind money, the administrators should focus on the infrastructure and developing talents. There should be professional leagues at different levels and age groups. Invite coaches and players from abroad to conduct training camps. Use social media, internet and modern facilities to involve people.
3. Lack of professional and commercial vision
Utilize FIFA vision 2020 and provide a clear vision to the development of football in the state. We need to learn from the revival story of Goan football and how proper planning and vision helped them achieve what they have today. Better administration and encourage clubs by providing better facilities. Market your local leagues effectively. State football associations has to revamp entire football calendar and conduct tournaments regularly. If the window is open all over the year, it will help players, coaching staff and the clubs.
4. Need of a Star Name
The next generations of Indian footballers get to see the exploits of Gerrard and Messi and Drogba on TV, and thus being another Sisir Ghosh or IM Vijayan or Bruno Coutinho might not be good enough for them, their dreams might be coloured differently from the green-and-maroon of Mohun Bagan, their dreams might just be the colour of the blaugrana of Barcelona.
And really, we just need one name. A Leonel Messi is a once-in-a-lifetime player, and it would be wrong to expect a Messi to be born in some corner of India soon. But possibly even a Benayoun or, even a Kenwyne Jones would do very well too. India is too big not to follow the lead. Remember, initially there was nobody… and then there was Jeev (who tied for 9th at the PGA championship!). And soon there was Atwal, and Randhawa, and Shiv, and SSP, and Rahil…. We just need one star, an average premiership star will do just fine. We just need one name.
ABSURD REASONS
1. We aren’t as athletic as others
I call it ABSURD. First, we are not less athletic – people have been winning Olympic medals for us. Second, football isn’t about tall, strong fellows. Xavi, Iniesta, Silva, Fabregas,Alba – this crew walked the EURO final 4-0. It’s perfectly possible to succeed with a height-lite, unmuscled bunch. As a matter of fact, this is the era of the technical footballer. England have been failing internationally all this time because they always attached more value to the athlete and less to the skilled and the passers. There’s no reason we can’t come up with 11 technically skilled players – provided the Real Reasons are overcome.
2. It’s too hot
Rubbish. Why are African nations so good then? Yaya Toure, Drogba, Kalou, Essien etc didn’t grow up playing in Switzerland. And there are countries like Russia where it’s too cold to play at times of the year.
I dearly hope we overcome the difficulties and become a top football nation and can compete in the FIFA World Cup ver soon.
