Disappearance of Football From India
Saturday, August 28th, 2010Indian football dates back to the 1880′s with the advent of the British colonials. Calcutta, the erstwhile capital of British India was the hub of all football activities with two prominent clubs – the East Bengal club and the Mohan Bagan. Slowly, the football frenzy had spread to other parts of the country. The football clubs of India were considered the one of the most successful ones worldwide and were regular participants in the Olympics.
But after the 1960′s, football began to steadily decline in terms of its importance and popularity among the masses. The 1983 victory of the Indian cricket team led by Kapil Dev in England resulted in a shift of focus from football to cricket. Cricket began to gain much popularity literally becoming the unofficial religion of the Indians. More funds were being channelized to cricket while football was sidetracked. Moreover, the recent development in Indian cricket has made it a multifaceted business with an assurance of complete professionalism.
Domestic or street football is still the more favored sport over cricket in most parts of the country. Little kids exhibiting brilliant Pele style moves, barefoot on dusty makeshift football grounds are a common sight in the villages here. These young players do not get an opportunity to hone their skills due to a dire lack of resources. According to Baichung Bhutia, Captain of the Indian football team, “Most Indian kids have a passion for football but there are not the qualified coaches at the grass roots level to help them”.
The two states where genuine attempts are being made for football to be taken seriously are Bengal and Kerala. They have the country’s most active teams with ace players such as Baichung Bhutia, I.M. Vijayan and many more.
India is languishing at the bottom of the world football rankings. The current football scene in India is rather, dare one say, a pathetic sight with corrupt politicians running the show. Lack of funds, lack of qualified coaches, lack of facilities etc. are the glaring problems football faces here.
This calls for a number of changes in the current football governance. We can take a lesson or two from the football’s successful cousin, cricket, and professionalize it by allowing business executives take control of the reins. Unless an organized system is introduced to tackle these issues, football in India faces the risk of disappearing into the shadows of other sports such as cricket and hockey.
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