An Analysis!

FIFA- A DISTANT INDIAN DREAM?

So here comes 2014. So whats so special about it other than the election muckraking  and all that jazz. Any guesses?. For those who haven't even inched closer to what i am referring to:

ITS THE YEAR OF THE FIFA WORLD CUP 20141!

“I am supporting Germany.” “ No its going to be Italy this time.” “Lets see if it will be any one other than Spain.” These are common frivolous rebukes we often overhear in this season of the football world cup matches. This highly awaited year is no different. The first question that crops up in my mind when i counter these nascent rivalries is, WHY ISN’T INDIA PLAYING?. We Indians outrightly continue to support different teams, being oblivious to the fact that we too have a football team in the country who need just a push to do wonders and make us proud.

People often ask me if India has its own football team. Its distressing and highly exasperating to hear a question like that. For those of you who are unaware, the answer to this is YES!. India has a national football team, controlled by the All India Football Federation. It is a member of the Asian Football Confederation, and a member of FIFA. In 1948, the AIFF was affiliated to FIFA. But the fact is India, ranked 133rd in the world, has never come close to qualifying for the World Cup.

We are a country who refused to play the 1950 Fifa world cup just because we did not have shoes to play!. Yes it’s a fact. We refused to play just because our players were used to playing barefoot. The blunder still haunts me.

Football is called ‘the poor man’s game’. All it requires is a ball and a piece of land. We are a land of 1 billion people and a huge geographical area but we still find it difficult to germinate mere seeds of 11 players who will give sweet fruits in the end. With these valuable resources in hand we should have emerged as the footballing superpower in the world today. It’s a shock n more of a surprise. All I feel is apathy and anger seeing this state of Indian football!. But population and expanse of land are not all we need to make a team. We need support from the people and the government. It needs will and dedication to be something.

Today it is difficult to tell whether hockey or cricket is our national game. Cricket in this nation is religion. Cricketers are paid in gold where as football in this race has completely been sidelined and players are paid peanuts in comparison to the game of cricket. Maybe we need to get a Sunil Chetri or a Baichung Bhutia into commercials and advertisements to prove that football has big money. Maybe then Indian parents will let their kids step out in to the football field to make it big. Also cooperates need to promote the games other than cricket. Big private firms can prove to be a big boon for the game if they wish to.

The point is HOW can we see ourself rise. Well, WE CAN.

 

If the sport needs to grow in terms of popularity and fiscality and become self dependant, then infrastructure needs to be taken care of.

The government has a crucial role to play in this. There are a 2.5 million government schools in India. Owing to that, the government must provide these with good play grounds and coaches, they should have a good pay scheme for these coaches to encourage them to take initiatives for training young talent. Basic facilities like a square grounds, logistics, promotional events and talent hunt programmes must be organized on a national level.

More football tournaments should be organized at the international level which will give us the needed exposure. Its time for our sports federations to take their  hands out of the cookie jar and actually work for what they have been appointed for. Also corporates, instead of promoting just cricket must come forward to provide financial help for football and sponsorships for the players. Administration should improve, maybe appointing a world class technical director by the AIFF will help. At last, nothing can raise the profile of the game than the game itself, the more entertaining is the game the more popularity it will gain.

The biggest force that drives football in the nation is the interest of the youth and not just boys but girls like me equally follow football and would love to see our country win laurels in football. Big corporate and poultry kings, Venky's recently bought a stake in one of England’s oldest club, Blackburn rovers. 

Also, the initiation of the super league, an initiative by IMG and Reliance, two of the world's biggest business firms, wherein big business honchos, sports men and even actors have come forth to buy teams and promote football is a very encouraging step for Indian Football enthusiasts.  It is a welcoming step.
The 2014 season will be competed between eight franchises. Each team would have a roster of 22 players each which would contain 10 foreign players, 8 domestic Indian players, and 4 local Indian players. 

The enthusiasm of the youngsters towards not just clubs but the game of football tells me that there is still light at the end of the tunnel. We are way capable of being the best. If this enthusiasm and initiatives continue to grow, the day wont be far when the most common notion of people all around the world will be ‘INDIA WILL WIN THE WORLD CUP!’