As 32 of the world’s top nations — from five-time champions Brazil to new entrants Slovenia — battle it out at football’s biggest extravaganza on earth, India remains a mute spectator, in dire need of a visionary renaissance that will set a billion-strong nation free from the shackles of 70 years of World Cup incompetence.
Every World Cup, the run-of-the-mill story about India’s ‘barefoot’ debacle does its rounds. About how we almost made it to the Mecca of footballing glory but were thwarted by our poverty and naivete. Yes, India was invited by FIFA and the Brazilian Football Federation to take part in the 1950 World Cup after Asian qualifiers Burma, Philippines and Indonesia had pulled out. But India’s request to play barefoot was declined and that was the closest we ever got to the prestigious tournament.
So now with a booming economy and a powerhouse presence in the world, what is stopping us from making the cut for Cup? Why are we languishing at 133rd position in world rankings, behind Luxembourg and Swaziland whose populations can just about match Navi Mumbai? We have an Olympic gold in shooting, a world champion in chess, world champions in cricket and hockey. Why not football?
A vicious cycle makes it a no-win situation. We are mediocre in football, so no one wants to invest in the sport. And since no one invests in it, we continue to remain mediocre.
Indian football predates FIFA. Our glorious past — 1951-62 era where we struck gold at two Asian Games and became the first Asian country to reach the semifinals at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics — bears testimony to the abundance of talent and potential we had. Legendary players, Chuni Goswami, Peter Thangaraj and P.K. Banerjee among many others won laurels by playing for the Asian All Stars XI but not one turned professional, content to their average middle-class life and pay.
English league team Tottenham Hotspurs offered Goswami a place in the 1960s, but chose the security of a public-sector job. Others too followed the same route until Baichung Bhutia became the first Indian to play for English second division side Bury F.C. from ‘99 to 2002. Now, ace striker Sunil Chhetri has signed up with American soccer team Kansas City Wizards. Soon, if all goes to plan, goalkeeper Subrata Pal and defender Gouramangi Singh will ply their trade overseas.
So is cricket’s popularity to blame? Corporate conglomerates and sponsors hardly look at any other sport. But why blame them? Who would want to put their money on the poorly-marketed I-league with its generally deserted stands and poor media coverage? The Indian women’s national team’s (yes, a women’s team does exist) triumph at the South Asian Games earlier this year was their first soccer tournament in two years. Mahindra Group’s move to disband its 44-year-old club may be the death knell for other teams too if corporate disinterest in India’s top football tournament continues.
So do we lack passion for the sport? The vociferous turnout for a Mohun Bagan-East Bengal encounter at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata or even a league match in Goa, the North-East and Kerala speak volumes of the immense fan base we have. But sadly, the sport remains confined largely to these states.
LEFT BEHIND
The World Cup has opened our eyes to how far the world has left us behind. Rather than groom promising talent, we hire Brazilian and African players to play in our domestic clubs who may be stars here, but put them up against one of their own from any top European team and you will see the stark difference in performance.
We need an approach to football on the lines of that used in most Latin American countries. For instance Brazil, where the importance given to a career in football is similar to dreams of making it into India’s IIMs.
WAY FORWARD
But all’s not lost. The regular broadcasting of Premier League games and the seamless link that the sport has built with football crazy Indian youth is something that governing bodies and authorities need to tap into. European teams and the AIFF could create a niche here, so football can grow and thereby create business opportunities with foreign clubs.
Employing even a small portion of the marketing blitz used for promoting the multi-million cricketainment — Indian Premier League — can bode well for the I-league. Starting football centres, youth development schools, coaching courses can help find fresh talent and their help them take centre stage in the nation’s sporting glory.