INDIAN FOOTBALL
FOOTBALL IS A UNIVERSAL GAME.IT IS A GAME PLAYED BY RICH AND POOR, OLD AND YOUNG, BLACK AND WHITE.IT IS THE MOST POPULAR GAME IN THE WORLD AND IT IS MY FAVOURITE PASSION.WHEN PLAYED,
IT IS ONE OF THE BEST PHYSICAL EXERCISES ONE CAN GET.
I AM AN ARDENT FOOTBALL FAN.I LIKE BOTH PLAYING IT AS WELL AS
WATCHING IT ON TV.FROM EPL TO SPANISH LEAGUE, CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TO INTERNATIONALS I WON’T MISS A SINGLE MATCH.IN FACT I HAVE TAKEN CABLE CONNECTION JUST TO WATCH FOOTBALL.ONCE WHEN ‘ASIANET’ OUR LOCAL CABLE SERVICE PROVIDER STOPPED BROADCASTING ‘ESPN-STARSPORTS’ WHICH IS THE “HOME FOOTBALL”, I GOT SO ANGRY THAT, I DISCONNECTED THE CABLE CONNECTION WITHOUT CONSULTING MY PARENTS.THAT EVENING MUTTERINGS AND CANES SURROUNDED ME AS MY SISTER AND PARENTS WERE ON FORM. WHEN MY FRIENDS TALK ABOUT THE LATEST MOVIES, CRICKET I ENJOY CHATTING ABOUT FOOTBALL.I DON’T OFTEN FIND INTERESTED LISTENERS AS MOST OF MY FRIENDS ARE NOT LIKEMINDED.
I ALWAYS WONDERED WHY FOOTBALL DOES NOT ENJOY THE SAME HYPE
AND POPULARITY IN INDIA AS CRICKET, HOCKEY OR SOME OTHER SPORT.ONE DOES NOT HAVE TO DO A LOT OF SOUL SEARCHING TO FIND THE ANSWER.IT IS THE LACKLUSTRE PERFORMANCE OF THE NATIONAL TEAM.BUT WE CAN’T ENTIRELY BLAME THEM FOR THAT WHEN WE CONSIDER THE FACILITY AND SUPPORT PROVIDED FOR THEM.JUST SEE THE CONDITION OF GROUNDS HERE.IT IS NOWHERE NEAR INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS. THERE IS NOT ENOUGH ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THE PLAYERS TO IMPROVE UPON THEIR GAME AND AIM HIGHER.THEIR WAGES IS PATHETIC WHEN YOU COMPARE IT WITH THAT OF THE OTHER COUNTRIES.I RECENTLY READ A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE WHICH COMPARED THE WAGES RECEIVED BY OUR PLAYERS AND THAT RECEIVED BY THOSE PLAYING IN THE EPL AND OTHER PROMINENT LEAGUES.IT SAID THAT THE WEEKLY INCOME OF CHELSEA AND ENGLAND MIDFIELDER FRANK LAMPARD IS SEVENTY LAKHS.NOW THAT IS NOT EVEN HALF THE PRICE MONEY OUR CURRENT NFL CHAMPIONS DEMPO WON FOR THE WHOLE SEASON.”PHEW”!THAT IS SOME COMPARISON, IS’NT IT?IF FRANKIE IS GETTING THAT MUCH , JUST IMAGINE WHAT THE LIKES OF FIGO, RONALDO, ZIDANE AND BECKHAM ARE RECEIVING.AND ALL OF THEM ARE IN THE SAME TEAM.LET’S BETTER NOT TALK ABOUT IT.COZ THERE IS SIMPLY NO SCOPE FOR COMPARISON.INDIA
WILL DO WELL WITH A ROMAN ABRAHMOVICH IN ITS RANKS, BUT HEY INVESTORS LIKE HIM ARE NOT FOOLS OR SOCIAL ACTIVISTS.ARE THEY?
THERE IS NO DEARTH IN TALENT HERE BUT PLAIN TALENT IS NOT ENOUGH .TALENTS SHOULD BE AND MOULDED WITH TECHNIQUE AND PROFESSIONALISM TO PRODUCE BETTER COMPETENT PLAYERS.INDIAN FOOTBALLERS LACK THE PROFESSIONALISM TO COMPETE AT THE TOP LEVEL.ONE CAN ARGUE THAT PHYSICALLY THERE IS A HUGE GAP BETWEEN ASIANS AND FOREIGNERS AND THAT FOOTBALL IS A PHYSICAL GAME.BUT JUST OBSERVE THE VAST IMPROVEMENTS MADE BY OTHER ASIAN NATIONS LIKE JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA, IRAN, IRAQ, CHINA.WHILE SOUTH KOREA WERE THE DARLINGS OF THE 2002 WORLD CUP REACHING THE SEMIFINALS ELIMINATING SUPERPOWERS LIKE PORTUGAL, SPAIN AND ITALY ON THEIR WAY, IRAQ REACHED THE FINALS OF THE ATHENS OLYMPICS ONLY LOSING TO PARAGUAY.JAPAN ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION GAVE WORLD CHAMPIONS BRAZIL A RUN FOR THEIR MONEY.LOOK, WE ARE NOT EXPECTING INDIA TO BECOME WORLD CHAMPIONS OVERNIGHT OR IN THE NEAR FUTURE.IT IS NOT EVEN IMAGINEABLE.BUT WHAT WE DO WANT IS INDIA TO COMPETE , ATLEAST WITH THE TOP ASIAN NATIONS.
PEOPLE CAN STILL ARGUE THAT IT IS BECAUSE THE BETTER FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE THAT THESE COUNTRIES HAVE COME UP.IT IS TRUE TO A VERY LARGE EXTEND.JAPAN, CHINA AND SOUTH KOREA HAVE MADE EXCELLENCE IN SPORTS ONE OF THEIR TOP PRIORITIES.FOR THIS THEY INVEST HEAVILY IN THIS SECTOR.SO THEIR SPORTSMEN ARE GIVEN WORLD CLASS TRAINING FACILITIES, BETTER EQUIPPED STADIUMS AND ABOVE ALL ENCOURAGEMENT AND SUPPORT.THE RESULTS THESE TEAMS SHOW ARE PROOF TO THE COMMITMENT MADE BY THE RESPECTIVE GOVERNMENTS OF THESE NATIONS.BUT AT THE SAME TIME LET US TURN OUR ATTENTION TO THE WAR RAVAGED FOOTBALL NATION, IRAQ.THE AMERICAN BOMBING HAD DEVESTATED THE STADIUMS IN THIS COUNTRY.SO FOR THE OLYMPICS, THEY HAD TO PRACTICE IN CATTLE GRAZING GROUNDS. YET LOOK AT THEY PERFORMANCE PUT UP AT THE OLYMPICS.”HATS OFF “TO THEM AND THEIR COACH.IT IS TRUE THAT FOOT BALL IS IN THE BLOOD AND CULTURE OF THE IRAQIS AND THEY TAKE THE GAME MUCH MORE PASSIONATELY.
DOES INDIA POSSESS THE SAME PASSION?IS THE OVERHYPE AND POPULARITY FOR CRICKET HERE DESTROYING OTHER GAMES SUCH AS FOOTBALL?IS THIS THE REASON FOR THE STEEP DECLINE OF FOOTBALL IN THIS COUNTRY?MAYBE YES, MAYBE NOT.CRICKET ATTRACT YOUNGSTERS MORE THAN ANY OTHER SPORT HERE IN INDIA.PEOPLE KNOW THAT CRICKET GIVES THEM FAME AND BIGGER MONEY.OUR INTERNATIONAL CRICKETERS ARE NEVER SHORT OF SPONSERS.LEAVE ALONE THE SUPER THE SUPERSTARS, EVEN THE BABES IN THE GAME EASILY GET ADVERTISING CONTRACTS. THEREFORE IT IS QUITE NATURAL THAT YOUNGSTERS IDOLISE CRICKETERS AND WANT TO BECOME LIKE THEM.TAKE THE EXAMPLE OF OUR CURRENT CRICKET CAPTAIN SAURAV GANGULY WHO IN HIS SCHOOLDAYS WAS A VERY GOOD FOOTBALLER TURNED TO CRICKET PROBABLY REALISING THE SAME.AND NOW HE MIGHT THINK HE MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE, AND RIGHTLY SO.THIS IS THE CASE WITH SEVERAL OTHERS.BUT WE CAN’T BLAME THEM, CAN WE?PEOPLE ALWAYS SEEK FAME AND FORTUNE AND IT IS PERFECTLY NATURAL.WE ALSO CANNOT BLAME THE GAME FOR THAT AS WELL.CRICKET IS GETTING POPULAR BECAUSE THE TEAM IS DOING WELL IN THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE.THE RESULT----LUXURIOUS LIFESTYLE FOR PLAYERS, TRUCKLOADS OF SPONSERS, A CRICKET BOARD THAT IS ONE OF THE RICHEST IN THE WORLD, REASONABLY GOOD DOMESTIC SETUP ALL OF WHICH IS ABSENT IN THE CASE OF FOOTBALL.ALL IN ALL CRICKET IS A TOP MARKETING PRODUCT IN OUR ECONOMY.
YET, LET US, AS PASSIONATE FOOTBALL FOLLOWERS OF THE COUNTRY BE OPTIMISTIC.FIRST THERE MUST BE AN EFFICIENT SYSTEM PUT IN PLACE
FOR FINDING YOUNG TALENT.BY YOUNG, I MEAN RIGHT FROM WHEN THEY ARE 10 OR ABOVE.SCHOOLS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THIS BY RECRUITING EXPERIENCED AND EXPERT PHYSICAL TRAINEES WHO WILL BE A GREAT HELP IN GUIDING AND MOTIVATING THESE YOUNGSTERS.SUMMER CAMPS FOR KIDS ARE BEING ORGANISED AT DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY WHICH IS A GOOD STEP FORWARD.THE TRAINING AND COACHING CAMPS MUST BE SO SET UP THAT THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO PRODUCE PROFESSIONALS OF AGE GROUPS FROM 16 TO 20.SO BY THE TIME THEY PLAY FOR THE COUNTRY THEY WILL BE AT THE PEAK OF THEIR CARREER.BUT ABOVE ALL THE MAIN NECESSITY IS MONEY IN THE GAME .BECAUSE WITH MONEY COMES INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITY BUT WHERE WILL THE MONEY COME FROM WHEN THERE IS SUCH A SHORTAGE OF SPONSERS FOR THE GAME.SPONSERS WILL EMERGE ONLY IF THERE IS DEEP INTEREST FOR OUR FOOTBALL AMONG THE PEOPLE , WHEN OUR STADIUMS ARE FILLED AND WHEN PEOPLE WILL WANT TO WATCH ‘LIVE GAMES’ON TV.BUT THAT IS NOT THE CASE AT PRESENT.WE CAN’T RATIONALLY EXPECT THE IFA OR ANY STATE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATIONS TO UNVEIL ANY FINANCIAL PACKAGES. I HAVE HEARD RUMOURS THAT THEY ARE UNABLE TO EVEN PROVIDE THE BASIC NECESSITIES FOR THE PLAYERS DURING TOURNAMENTS(PROPER FOOD AND ACCOMODATIONS, JERSEYS BOOTS ETC…)THEN HOW CAN WE EXPECT THEM TO BE OUR ‘MESSIAHS’.SO IN THE END IT ALL DEPENDS ON FINDING SPONSERS.EVEN TELEVISION CHANNELS WILLING TO BROADCAST MATCHES CAN PLAY A HELPFUL HAND.WELL THE ESPN-STAR SPORTS DID A GOOD JOB AGREEING TO BROADCAST SOME DOMESTIC MATCHES .IT WAS AT A TIME WHEN OUR MUCH REPUTED NATIONAL CHANNEL ‘DOORDARSHAN ‘ WAS KILLING THE TELECAST OF MATCHES WITH SOME HOPELESS PRESENTATION AND COMMENTARY.UNLESS IT CHANGES IT APPROACH IT IS UP TO THE PRIVATE CHANNELS TO FOLLOW ON THE STEPS OF ESPN AND THUS CULTIVATE AN INTEREST AMONG THE MASSES FOR WATCHING THESE MATCHES.WELL I’D HAVE LOVED TO ADD SEVERAL OTHER POINTS, BUT THERE HAS TO BE A END.SO FOR THE TIME BEING I’LL STOP WITH A STRONG NOTE OF BELIEF THAT THERE IS HOPE SOMEWHERE AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL WHEN IT COMES TO INDIAN FOOTBALL.