You too must have watched the final match between the defending champion Argentina and European Champion Spain in FIFA World Cup 2026 which Spain won by one-nil. Football commentators and experts are almost unanimous in their observation that Spain played far better than Argentina in this particular match. Interestingly however, Spain could score the solitary goal in extra time only. The scene on the field of the fully occupied stadium in New York was full of joy, sorrow, goodwill and motivation.
Being a football lover and a player
during my school days, I felt the vibration greatly. Yes, during this world cup
tournament, we were privileged to watch the great football players like Lionel
Messi of Argentina, Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal, Rodri of Spain, Kylian
Mbappe of France, Neymar Jr. of Brazil, Jude Bellingham of England, Achraf
Hakimi of Morocco, Erling Haaland of Norway, Youri Tielemans of Belgium, Gregor
Kobel of Switzerland and many other outstanding players playing their matches
with great commitment and conviction.
It is notable for all football loving countrymen that as many as 48 countries of the world played in FIFA World Cup 2026, but India – the country of more than 1400 million people couldn’t even qualify to play. It is indeed disappointing. Interestingly, the total population of the countries who reached the quarter final stage is about 281 million – only twenty percent of our population.
To be
very specific about the population of these eight countries, the population of
Argentina is 46 million, Switzerland 9 m, Spain 48 m, Belgium 12 m, Norway
5.6 m, England 56 m, France 66 m and Morocco 38 million. Interestingly, the combined
population of only three neighbouring states namely West Bengal (100 m), Bihar
(133 m) and Odisha (47 m) equal the population of those eight quarter
finalists; and there is no dearth of young talents in these states.
Why does our country fail to qualify not only for the FIFA World Cup, but also for the Asian Cup? The reasons may be many. In 1996 we ranked 94, whereas in 2026 we are at 139 in the world ranking table. Even in the 46-Member AFC (Asian Football Confederation), our position is at 24 and our team couldn’t even qualify for the Asian Cup Match of 2027.
But looking back, everything was not
that disappointing. In fact, the Durand Cup Match was the first Indian Football
Competition which was first organised in Shimla way back in 1888. It is said to
be one of the oldest surviving football competitions in the world. The first
football club of the country was Calcutta Football Club which was established
in 1872 but the oldest football club which is still very active in our country
is none other than the famous Mohun Bagan Athletic Club which came into
existence in 1889 in the then Calcutta, now Kolkata city. Other two famous
clubs of Calcutta were Mohammedan Sporting (founded in 1891) and East Bengal
(founded in 1920). Dempo Sports Club, Goa (founded in 1967) has been another
old and famous club. Yes, currently there are a number of well-known football
clubs who participate very actively in the Indian Super League (ISL) matches.
Undeniably, football, which was once the national game of the country, was and still is a very popular and entertaining game both in the villages as well as in cities despite the glamour, money, advertisement, sponsorship, media coverage and management support of BCCI available to Cricket.
Now the time has come to bring back its glory. Obviously, the AIFF (All India Football Federation) and Central as well as State Governments must take the necessary time bound initiatives. Special efforts by the State Government of West Bengal, Kerala, Goa, Sikkim, Manipur and Mizoram would go a long way in this direction.
Yes, the focus of taking solution initiatives must be on structural weakness, shortage of playgrounds, scouting for young talents, professional training, financial support and incentive, calendar for round-the-year matches, upward revision of match fees etc.
It is heartening that a few corporate houses have been taking active interest in either helping or supporting some football clubs in the country. At least through their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activity, a greater number of corporate entities should also lend their support for promoting this common man’s game in a sustainable manner across the country.
Hopefully, these initiatives would make our country very deserving to qualify for FIFA and AFC matches in coming years.
As always, I'm keen to know what you think on this subject. Hence, I request you to post your comments to share your valuable opinion. (hellomilansinha@gmail.com)
# Published in my Sunday Column of "Morning India" daily.
# Click here to enjoy my Blog in Hindi, "Chalte, Chalte" (चलते, चलते)
No comments:
Post a Comment