Comment: The ‘Indian’ Dream?

Why can’t India, with its population of over 1,000,000,000 people find 11 football players able to conquer the world? (By Kartik Das)

[This is an article which came on ESPNStar. It is so damn good and true, that I was obliged to put it up here.]

Slovenia, a tiny country in a mountainous region with a population of just 2 million are ranked 25th in the FIFA World Rankings and were present at the 2010 World Cup. Trinidad and Tobago with a population of 1.2 million are ranked in the top 100 and participated in the 2006 World Cup. Good grief, even North Korea made it to the 2010 world event.

The sheer fact that nations with paltry populations and footballing cultures can scale global heights does not reflect well on India and the way the masses perceive football within their own country - a country that at one stage was proud to have a prominent football team.

Once upon a time, India, all bare feet and with nimble moves, made it to the 1950 World Cup in Brazil (their single ever qualification to the World Cup) only to withdraw due to a "lack of foreign exchange, the prospects of a long sea journey and an insistence on playing barefoot". They went on to win gold at the Asian Games in 1951 and 1962 and, in 1956, were the first Asian country to reach the semi-finals of the Olympics. From then on the team's performance has well and truly gone downhill. India have not qualified for the Olympics since 1960.

The immense popularity of cricket in India is surely not the answer for the lack of interest and success of Indian football. The love for football in India is plenty: this year's World Cup fever hit railway stations, restaurants and bars.

Spanish and Brazil flags were everywhere and restaurants were going mad with World Cup offers trying to keep customers' plates full and wallets empty. Numerous people support football clubs from Europe, staying awake past midnight to catch a Champions League game. Thus, the assumption that the all-pervading love for India's ‘religion', cricket, is hindering the development of its football side, is just a scapegoat.

The blame can't lie on our English colonizers (the inventors of football) either, that they didn't introduce the sport. They may have ruled India for decades (first through the East India Company and then the British Crown) but Indians learnt the sport through them: originally, army teams played football. After all the Indians picked up a sport from them far more complex than football: cricket, which has a torrent of rules compared to a game that - in its simplest terms - just needs a ball to be kicked into the net.

So why does India, a third of whose population is under fourteen - "a nursery of potential footballers", continue to fail to make the finals?

Firstly, qualification for the world cup - with only 4 slots (5 including the playoff with the OFC Nations Cup winner) out of the 32 and with the presence of Japan, South Korea and Australia - isn't easy for any Asian team.

Maybe, but surely the major reason for failure lies within the Indian system.

There are football leagues in at least eight states, but the level and quality of the clubs are appalling. In India, like almost everything else, football is run by politicians. The aviation minister is also the chief of the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Because of this politicization, along with corruption, lack of interest and professionalism, the game doesn't thrive.

This lack of interest is evident in the long time it took the governing body of football in India to become associated with FIFA. The footballers continued to play barefoot while the rest of the world put on some shoes.

Politics is a very important reason for the demise of football in the country. Sports ministry officials look for quick promotions and quick returns on investment, so they invest more money in sports like cricket instead of football at the local level. This also means that Indian football has a weak youth system, something which is very important in the development of any team.

Climax Lawrence, one of the Indian national stars, stated that even though his club, Dempo FC, won the I-League (the top tier league in India) they have yet to receive the trophy!

Another reason lies in the Indian culture. Firstly, India doesn't have a sporting culture and secondly the best Indian athletes would rather play cricket or hockey and not football because these two sports attract larger audiences in the country. More importantly, for the athletes, football doesn't attract the dollars.

This is where we, as fans, come in. Yes, we do love football, but not Indian football. Cricket is a very popular sport, but only because we placed it there. The same can be done for football as well.

Remember, "It's the fans that make a sport what it is."

Fans have a huge influence on sport and this is exemplified by Real Madrid's claim that they have recovered the 80 million pounds paid for Cristiano Ronaldo. How? By selling millions of merchandise with his name on it!

We cannot let our football hope down and all it takes is to show the same enthusiasm we have for European football, for Indian football. Instead of supporting Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea start supporting our own clubs: Dempo, Mohun Bagan and Mumbai FC. Yes, their level of football may be inferior but what more of a reason do we need to support our local clubs than for the fact that they are Indian.

Baichung Bhutia has played in the third tier of English football for three years , Sunil Chhetri has now signed up to play for the Kansas City Wizards, a Major League Soccer club, and Gouramangi Singh was on trial at Melbourne Heart FC. Although these three players have brought some appeal and fascination back into the game in India, what can a few footballers do?

Nevertheless, India's dream lives on and there are things happening out there that might lead to a spot at the 2018 World Cup for the Indian national team. The AIFF has taken two major steps: the advancement of the National Team Development Programme and the effort to make the I-League and clubs very professional. Professional and competitive national leagues and clubs are the very foundation of a solid national side. Keep in mind - the results of the Japanese team before the implementation of J-league weren't amazing at the international level.

Furthermore, Dempo FC have snapped up an exceptional deal with FIFA to sell official merchandise (including I-League jerseys and collectibles) throughout the country and the team is believed to have a tie up with an English club.

The team coach, Bob Houghton, has also developed the team immensely and has led us to the 2011 Asia Cup finals - simply sensational. With such coaches, a team can never say never to any goal.

Even Bollywood is playing its part. Superstar Salman Khan has agreed to continue as the brand ambassador for the AIFF, and heartthrob, Ranbir Kapoor, has signed up to appear in advertisements promoting Indian football. Moreover, the newly married Shilpa Shetty and her loaded hubby have audaciously begun their quest for a new football league in India - a possible football variation of the Indian Premier League (IPL)?

These developments along with the right facilities, international training and exposure, as well as our support, could come together to turn the national team into a competitive outfit.

Hope springs eternal.

[Article actual location : http://www.espnstar.com/football/other-football/news/detail/item467327/Edit/]