It is hard to imagine that India, a country of over billion people, is not part of an event that has attracted viewers from across the world. We
have failed to make an impact in the sport of football. We are not even on the
map. Currently placed at 146th in the FIFA rankings, the future
doesn’t look too bright either. The last time we qualified for the World Cup was in
1950. As the story goes, the players pulled out of the competition because they
weren’t allowed to play barefoot. Now, with the tournament going on in Brazil
and to see a fair share of Indian fans supporting other countries, donning
jerseys of different nations, evokes variety of emotions.
Most of us know the reasons why we have failed to produce world class
football players. For those who don’t (I don’t think you are interested in
knowing anyways). Still, these are some of the very basic reasons:
Poor infrastructure – Just
look at India football stadiums. It lacks basic amenities. Grounds lack grass and
it is uneven.
· Weak
administration – All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the body
assigned to manage the sport in India. Its political appointees rarely take
interest in the game. The organisation was formed in 1937, but took more than a
decade to get affiliated with FIFA, the world apex football body.
· India is a cricketing nation – Cricket
is the most popular sport in India. It has sponsors and is glamorised, which
attracts youngsters. The pay is also good. India’s cricket captain MS Dhoni was
goal keeper before he became a wicketkeeper, Sourav Ganguly, India’ former
cricket captain, is a huge football fan.
· Poor Fitness level of Indian
football players – Fitness level of players in India is a cause of
concern. Anyone who has played football at any level can vouch for the fact
that football requires tremendous levels of fitness. The issue of fitness has
rarely been a priority with Indians.
· Training – Improvement
in coaching standards is a must for players to develop into world class
players.
These are some of the reasons why we have to sit at home and cheer for
other countries while watching the game. However, there is some good news for
Indian football fans - India is hosting under-17 FIFA World Cup in 2017. It
will be the right opportunity of putting the best foot forward and bring the
change which is desperately required in the game in the country.
The growing popularity of the game in the nation is attracting some of
football’s big names. Liverpool FC, a top football club in English football
have opened an academy in India, FC Barcelona are looking to do the same in
future. FIFA president Sepp Blatter has acknowledged India as a ‘sleeping
giant’ ready to woken up.
India still has a long way to go but with right approach and better
facilities, we can see our tricolour flying high internationally. For the time
being it is Indian fans that are flying Indian flag high in Brazil. They are
making their presence felt though in small numbers, in the ongoing soccer World
Cup in the ‘Land of Parrots’.
Images taken from google.com
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