An avoidable mess in Indian football
It was probably the sternest test for Indian football to save its image! An underprepared team lands in Hangzhou for the Asian Games, and who would have given it hope of doing anything beyond being just a ‘participant’! And yet the spirited young men in Blue achieved a draw against a lower-ranked Myanmar, a minimum requirement for progress from the group league stage to the next round, the round of 16. In the end, at least temporarily, all the chaos that featured the team’s departure and arrival in China was put back for not since the 2010 edition as India progressed to the next phase of the competition. And that, in the present times, is saying so much considering Indian football’s state of affairs!
At a time when sports in India are yearning to present a bright picture, and the government has been doing its bit to provide all-round encouragement, there was little to please anyone when it came to football. Initially, Indian football was not to get represented at the Hangzhou Games because of its poor standing in Asia. But last-minute efforts and the recent good show in the Tri-nation series, Inter-continental Cup and SAFF championship, helped convince the Government to give the green signal. What followed was the most unbelievable chapter for a sport in the country that was once at the forefront in Asia, perhaps a source of inspiration those days for other playing disciplines. India had won the gold medal in the inaugural 1951 edition and was again the winner in 1962. A bronze in the 1970 edition ended the medal run for Indian football in the Games. Indeed, the story thereafter for Indian football was one of steady decline until it has reached the stage now of earning all-round ridicule. All this is not because of the players but the officials, sadly!
Image a scene where the Coach of the team, and here it was the highly rated Igor Stimac, the former Croatian national coach, just did not have a clear idea of the team composition on the eve of the team’s departure for the Games! The team had to be a mix of U-23 players, with three seniors allowed to be added. The confusion was because players were not getting released by the clubs. With the ISL due to start, the clubs involved were apparently clear that ‘club interest’ lay ahead of ‘national interest’. Since the Asian Games competition did not come under the FIFA stipulated list, the Clubs were emboldened to stick to their stands, or so it seemed until better sense prevailed. But how such a situation could come about is the sad part. How could a set of players getting an opportunity to play for the country be denied --this was the question.
Back in the nineties, when this writer was at the Jabalpur national football championship, we, the members of the media, had a chance to meet Mewalal (now no more), the hero of India’s 1951 football success in the inaugural edition held in New Delhi. Among other things, this simple and humble man had one telling truth to reveal_ “I still preserve the jersey I played in, in that historic Games”. Over 45 years had passed by since that golden moment, but the man, with tears welling up just could not hold back his emotion. That was patriotism and the special feeling stemming from national pride. Times have changed, the world has gone forward, and Asian nations too in football, but India seems slipping in this sport and clearly, this kind of apathy that we see now has to be one big reason. The players cannot be blamed, and surely not after seeing the spirited effort they displayed on the field in Hangzhou!
As Stimac, often accused of being outspoken, but yet a man who was keen to give Indian football a positive push was to admit at the time of the departure for the Games, the tactical preparation for the side had to be done on the flight to Hangzhou! Can things ever come down to this level, one wonders? He knew there was no time for training sessions, and the next best alternative was to utilise the time on the flight and at the airport. The Coach thus had a look at the players as they arrived at the airport and then realized this had to be the team! At least he was happy that the veteran Sunil Chhetri and Sandesh Jhingan were there to mould or inspire the others into whatever best unit they could be. When the day of the competition arrived, Stimac had already looked beyond China and concentrated on Myanmar and Bangladesh (the three teams in the group), and the Coach could not have done better. In the end that was what mattered.
As it happened, the long flight, little rest and high pressure ensured India boys were a half-fit lot for their first match against the host. The verdict was clear and pronounced_ a 1-5 defeat, the biggest for a team on the inaugural day of the competition. But the spirited fightback of the young side had to be mentioned for nothing else mattered now except saving points against the next two teams to earn a face-saving moment for the national side. Difficult times can at times do wonders to the mental make-up of a group of fighters. The win over Bangladesh was good, and it could have been another Myanmar too but a draw it turned out to be, still good enough for the passage to the next phase. The value of experience came out loud and clear with Chhetri doing the winning acts, converting penalties in a manner that spoke highly of this gifted player.
The medals account for India may have opened in the Games, but this Indian football team’s concern should be to prove what best can be done in the face of everything shoddy about the sport back home. The future of Indian football, well it is best to leave that aspect alone!