Between May and July 2023, Indian football could do no wrong. Three tournament wins on the bounce, and the scenes in Bengaluru at the end of the SAFF Championship said it all – 26,000 fans singing Vande Mataram had signalled the arrival of a new dawn.
Or, did we make a mistake? Was it a false dawn given what was to follow? Since July, things have gone consistently downhill for the sport. A caveat is necessary here – while the players have done well and this is perhaps the best Indian football team in over a decade, administratively, the sport has moved from one crisis to another.
First, there was the issue with the Asian Games team selection. What eventually happened was a case study in mismanagement. The team eventually reached China the night before the first game, and two of the players actually joined after that first match was over. There was an ugly tussle between the ISL clubs and the AIFF on the release of footballers and the possible start date of the league, which resulted in adding negativity to the already growing unpleasantness.
Issues between the head coach and the clubs was a consistent subtext. The national team set-up not treating players’ injuries properly added to the fans’ ire. It was later revealed that the allegations weren’t correct and those were pot-shots taken at Igor Stimac, the coach. A 14-month-old story was revived in the mainstream national media just ahead of the Asian Games, and a deep dive showed it was a completely unnecessary distraction at the time.
The Asian Games campaign was poor, and while India won a staggering 107 medals, the football couldn’t live up to expectations.
Just when things seemed to be settling down with the extension of Stimac’s contract as the national team’s head coach for a further four years, we have another shocker. The former Secretary General and members of the AIFF Executive Committee are now openly at war with each other. While the Secretary General has been removed with immediate effect and a media release issued, he has challenged his ouster as a sinister plot and said it was invalid as it doesn’t have the sanction of the Executive Committee. Former footballers like Baichung Bhutia have now weighed in, and said Shaji Prabhakaran is being made a scapegoat. Baichung, by the way, had lost the election to the current dispensation, and could well see this as an opportunity.
While not taking any sides in this ongoing controversy, one thing is for certain. There is only one loser, and that is Indian football. As the national team assembles in Dubai for what are perhaps the 10 most important days for Indian football in more than a decade, they do so against the backdrop of mudslinging and personal allegations flying thick and fast. Administrators are at loggerheads, and football has taken a backseat.
It is time to pause and think of the players and the coach. If they feel demotivated and disturbed ahead of the hugely important match against Kuwait on November 16, who is to blame? If they don’t do well against Qatar at home on November 21, would it be their fault alone?
It is a given that India need at least a draw against Kuwait to to stand a chance of finishing second in the group. And in all honesty, this team does have a chance. India have played well against Kuwait, but need to be in the best mental space ahead of the November 16. And that’s what is not happening. All that the players are hearing is the President and former Secretary General are at war, and the members of the Executive Committee are focussed on trying to get their house in order. The focus isn’t on the players or the national team. The focus is on who wins the battle for votes in the EC. Egos have taken centre stage, and football is being sacrificed in the process. That’s the reality, and a very sad one at that.
Finally, what about the fans? They are the lifeblood of the sport and have been firmly behind the national team all through the year. They celebrated the three tournament wins, and all of a sudden, football in India had a new lifeline. What are they feeling seeing all this drama unfold? Are they disillusioned or do they not matter? What will they feel if things don’t go well against Kuwait? Will they lose faith in the players, or will they hold the administration responsible for this mess?
The truth is the powers who govern the sport are failing it. The players need better, and so do the fans. One can only hope the AIFF gets its house in order as soon as possible, and the focus shifts to the action on the pitch ahead of the games against Kuwait and Qatar. For the future of Indian football, this is what is needed at the moment. We don’t want to read about Shaji and Kalyan, and Kipa and Haris. We need to know about Sunil and Sandesh, and Apuia and Naorem.
Hopefully, the administrators recognise this and act accordingly. Failure to do so could cause terminal damage to the sport. Look at Indian cricket, in comparison to Indian football, and you would know what I am talking about.