The great Indian kick-off

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Pele used tin cans on the cobbled streets of Brazil. Manchester United hero Eric Cantona played on a hillock in Marsielles. And when the ball bounced too far, his brothers and the “man who thought he was king” improvised with rolled up newspaper balls. The small bylanes in India are also witnessing a phenomenon.

From the frenetic football played on a Goan beach, as sweaty, revved up locals try to out-dribble each other to the gallis in Kolkata where the ball seems an extension of a youthful foot, or even Kerala or the North-east, footie fervour has come to India.
When Lionel Messi set foot on Indian soil, there was collective ecstasy at the diminutive Messiah maneuvering the ball with a skill that left everyone breathless. While the great Indian kick-off has not found its feet firmly, there are indications of the giant rising from deep slumber.
Bollywood heart-throb Ranbir Kapoor, who was roped in as Barcelona FC ambassador, is a complete football buff, “I have been a soccer fan from childhood. I love the game and love playing it. I met Messi and I was tongue-tied, I just couldn’t utter a word. It was an out of this world experience.” The actor will promote football and Barcelona FC in schools.
An AC Nielsen’s survey conducted last year found 47 per cent of India’s 1.21 billion describing themselves as football fans. Roberto Mendes Silva, a Brazilian footballer, midfielder for Churchill Brothers (Goa), feels much has changed since he first came seven years ago. “There has been slow progress. The quality of the game has improved but we still lack in infrastructure. Today, there is exposure with foreign players staying on and Indian players playing abroad.”
Tushar Goculdas, brand director Adidas, agrees, “In the affluent sections, football is giving cricket a run for its money. FIFA media rating during IPL last year saw TRPs higher than IPL, except maybe for the finals. There is a lot of love and it needs to be expressed.”

The clubbing begins
With Bayern Munich slotted to play India on January 10 in a friendly in New Delhi, and the Blackburn Rovers’ match with Pune FC in Pune, and the Argentina versus Venezuela friendly in Kolkata, the energy is infectious. Whether you take into account Dr Vijay Mallya’s continued sponsorship of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal to his partnership with Lakshmi Mittal in the QPR kitty. Or Venky’s owners, the Raos, buying Blackburn Rovers, one of the oldest and founding clubs of the English Premiere League.
Venky’s head honcho MD B. Venkatesh Rao is busy with Blackburn Rovers. With coach Steve Kean roped in, Rao said, “We are planning on setting up an academy in Pune to hone talent and it will be a fully equipped international stadium. Then Asian players can also train here.”
FC Bayern started a Youth Cup and a scouting programme wherein the best will go on to represent the country at the FC Bayern Youth Cup held after the Champions League finals at Allianz Arena, Munich in May 2012. Two renowned coaches from FC Bayern München — Werner Kern and Sebastian Dremmler — will spearhead this. John Abraham, known for his love of football, and Baichung Bhutia have also been roped in.
It was also reported that Liverpool plans to open a football academy in New Delhi and other states with former England midfielder Steve McMahon at the helm.
According to football writer Francis Rebeiro, “Positive indications of football are Dempo Sports Club investing `80 crore in a Danish professional soccer club and academy FC Midtjylland (FCM), a rated club in the Danish League. Young Turks like Rohan Gavaskar of Pune FC and the Jindals have invested in a state-of-the-art stadium.”
Ranbir Kapoor is optimistic about Indian football, “It needs the right kind of training and ground work. If we start training right from the school level it will be a big phenomena.” Former chief coach of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, Stanley Rosario who now coaches Baichung Bhutia’s club United Sikkim agrees, “Football is a beautiful game but it is sadly a poor man’s game. Infrastructure, qualified coaching, food and equipment is the need. If Baichung Bhutia can play for Bury FC and Sunil Chettri can play for Kansas, so can others.”
The nation which sadly is ranked 160 by FIFA has a long way to go. “We won the Asian Games in 1962 and while Korea, China and Japan have moved on, we are still languishing. Now the federation and FIFA are concentrating on academies and infrastructure. The federation has appointed Colm Toal as technical director focused on youth development,” Rosario adds.
Terry Phelan, ex Everton, ex-Leed United player, now chief mentor at Sesa Football Academy, feels the time to develop talent has come. “It’s surprising how vast a following the Goan local leagues have. I have been impressed by the number of spectators at local village matches.”

need of the hour
Phelan, who has made 42 appearances for the Irish national team, and also represented Ireland at the 1994 FIFA World Cup adds, “I think football has a great potential to grow. I am intrigued by India. Education is key, and then one can develop the game, get better coaches and increase infrastructure. India needs better playing surfaces, training grounds and it is going to take time.”
He feels that stretching the mind of the youth which is not stretched enough is important, “We need to develop skills tactically, educationally and coaching wise.”
With Manchester United bars opening all over, Phelan is categorical, “It’s great commercially, but one needs to find a comfort level. Ask whether you are coming to sell shirts or are focused on coaching, and development?”
The national football team is in dire straits, making Indian football an unattractive sport to invest in. So, will the cricket-loving nation play ball? Bollywood hottie and football fan Ranbir concludes, “Our nation is a cricket crazy nation, so it will take a while for soccer to find its place in Indian hearts, but I am hopeful that it will come to the forefront.” Now, if only someone would sponsor our young turks!