Rajat Subhra Chatterjee
It was 2002-03 season in Kolkata when a 16 year, baby faced, youngster joined Mohun Bagan. Pre-season, a trial match was arranged under flood light at the CCFC between CCFC combined XI and Mohun Bagan select XI where another two new Brazilians – Edu and Beto, also participated along with this baby faced boy. He was Sunil Chetri. I still remember, post match in the 1st Floor dinning room, Sunil was seated quietly with face down and seemed overawed with the presence of glitterati. I closed up to Sunil and caressed his hair and asked him if he had heard the name of Shyam Thapa. He nodded. And I said, if you can keep your head straight, you may become bigger than even Shyam Thapa. He looked up to me.
In Saturday’s clean sweep of Nepal in SAF Cup finals beating them 3-0, Sunil Chethri has scored his 80th International goals overtaking the Great Pele’s feat and equaling that of Messi’s. Congratulations to Sunil. Well it does not prove anything except Sunil’s brilliant individual contribution to Indian football. Not a fool I am though, to even think of comparing Sunil with the greats he toppled or equaled. Not even with greats of Indian Football of ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s. Sunil Chetri is a very good footballer in contemporary India but his success have been limited against very ordinary lower rung Asian Teams only. SAF Cup is perhaps the lowest graded tournament in Asia. Yet, that’s no fault of Sunil Chetri.
India, among the 211 FIFA member countries, has been playing now over a century, yet the standard of the game, even dished out in SAF Cup finals is far from International level. Hardly there was a single move or attempt worth remembering. The passing, trapping and receiving of the players have been terrible. No strategy also was visible in the whole match. Naturally, in Asia, India ranks amongst the lower runners. But India performed quite creditably in ‘50s, ‘60s and even till 1970 Bangkok Asian Games. The decline came thereafter. All the stakeholders must take the blame collectively for the present shabby situation.
The biggest blunder perhaps has been the stoppage of Nehru Gold Cup International Tournament, which when launched in 1982, offered a new lease of life to Indian Football and the players too got the feel what kind of level they were up to. This tournament brought many famed and would-be-famed International stars who rubbed shoulders with Indians, who benefitted immensely as Indian contingent fought with those famed professionals almost on equal terms. But after 1997 unceremoniously when the tournament got stopped it was all hallucination. The gradual decline started and floodgate was opened for the downfall.
Sporadically, one Sudip Chatterjee, one Krishanu Dey, Xavier Paius, Jo Paul Ancheri, I M Vijayan, Baichung Bhutia, Aloke Mukherjee, Dipak Mondol, Mahesh Gawoli, had emerged in gaps and not in groups, that remained horribly insufficient and inadequate to take India to the next level even in Asian football. But in ‘50s & ‘60s a bunch of classy talents together could keep their footmarks in world arena so prominently. India’s first competitive matches of this millennium were the World Cup qualifiers in 2002 . India started very brightly, defeating the UAE 1–0, drawing Yemen 1–1, as well as two victories over Brunei, including a 5–0 drubbing in Bangalore, India finished a point away from qualification for the next round. Thereafter it has all been dark. Different overseas coaches, also could not turn fortunes of Indian football. One Sunil Chettri could not win matches for India. He never had the support from the team sadly. The overall structure of the team have never been built. Today, Indian Team does not have a solid defence to withstand the attack of even Maldives or Bangladesh.
Consequently, Indian Super League, launched with so much expectations, could have given a much needed boost to Indian football, instead, the very format of the tournament allowing 5/6 overseas players of ordinary standard has helped Indian football very little. Only Glitter and glamour. Today, in Indian football, it is difficult to affirm, who is running the show ? ISL, started in 2013, can not take the pride to have produced even five Indian footballers of real merit. Sunil Chetri is not a product of ISL. Rests are all products of I-League who are now playing in ISL.
Indian football will do much better under an Indian Coach cum Manager with an overseas competent Technical Director. Communication and body language being very important, an Indian coach will blend much better emotionally. It is worth bringing around this change. AIFF must be led by a solid Technocrat with a strong selection committee. Only one Shaym Thapa will not do. Why not the best contemporary football mind of India – Subhash Bhowmick is drafted in – may be as the chief selector ?
Thought for AIFF !!
Featured Image : Courtesy : Wikipedia
