by Harmit Singh Kamboe
April 2007 - An April unlike any before
I do not know what month Baichung Bhutia, India's sole star footballer made his debut. But if it was not April, then fellow football fans, April 2007 is going to be one of the most defining months, and an April unlike any before us, in India's football history.
While father time catches up with Baichung and inevitably time will be called on his illustrious career, April 2007 provides us a glimpse into the future of Indian football on numerous counts:
Sepp Blatter to visit India this month
In India we are obsessed with tamasha and pomp and show but not with actual project work and implementation. So, expect to hear all and sundry, try and get photo opportunities with FIFA President Sepp Blatter. Great announcements will be made, press interviews given, grandiose plans announced and then we fully expect that once Mr. Blatter goes back, we will forget about the promises made to the Indian fans and go back to our pathetic ways. Perhaps in this aspect, this month of April will continue to be like the barren decades and years that characterize Indian football. But we will wait to be shocked with bated breath, in case indeed something positive comes out of this.
There is pressure on the AIFF from FIFA and the AFC to implement numerous projects and initiatives.
A Dip in the East and Rise of the West
If proof was ever needed that the centre of gravity in Indian football is shifting towards the west, one only needs to look at the current standings on the NFL. The way Mahindra United and Dempo SC have shared the lead between them and the way that the once illustrious Mohammedan Sporting Club and Mohun Bagan AC have been in the potential relegation zone, has been a watershed moment in Indian football.
Calcutta's stranglehold is far from over, but the decline of the empire may be upon us. For too long, Calcutta clubs have relied on history and tradition. Now they face the possibility of making history in the most unlikely way - one of them of being relegated.
But the relegation may be a blessing in disguise. The loss of revenues from not being in the NFL may force the club(s) to end their ties with high paid foreigners and focus on grooming local talent which is cheaper and more cost effective.
While Calcutta has tradition in its side, Goa has true love and passion for the sport on its side. That love has been harnessed by an effective state football association and the results are there for every one to see. The success of Mahindra's (both in the league and in the AFC Cup so far) has made them India's team. This too is a positive development as it will help football attract fans from outside Bengal. Overall for Indian football, it is a positive development to see the game shift from the East to the West, but it also needs to spread back into the North and South.
Especially in the South, Kerala needs to come back into the fold of the national club scene. For that the final days of the 2.Division National League Final Round in Calicut are crucial, to see if Viva Kerala make it or not.
The First batch of the Chandigarh Football Academy graduate this month
On April 6, the first batch of trainees from one of India's newest residential football academy, the Chandigarh Football Academy will graduate. This batch of youngsters has had seven years of some of the best football training that our nation could offer.
And the youngsters have shown great potential. Pawan Kumar has been the goalkeeper for India U16, U17 and U19. Sukhwinder Singh and Ravinder Singh travelled with the U16 Indian team that played in Portugal in 2005.
The current batch made it to the semi-finals in the under-14 category of the prestigious All India Subroto Mukherjee School Football Tournament in New Delhi in 2003. They then followed this up with an under-17 final appearance in 2005 and semifinals in 2006 in the same meet. Aakib Javed (2002) and Gagandeep (2003, 2005) were adjudged the best players of the same tournament.
Let's remember these names for they have the potential to be the stars of tomorrow.
India today has an official charged with Talent scouting and development, Colin Toal. Although Colin is currently the acting Olympic Team coach in the absence of Bob Houghton, as an Indian football fan, I hope and pray that:
A. He is aware of these youngsters and the academy.
B. He reaches out to these youngsters and has a look at them to judge what they are capable of.
What is of concern is though that these youngsters are between 17 and 18 years of age. They are now stepping out of the home that they have known for the last seven years. It is imperative that they be handled with care and guided properly for the next three years or so. The same was confirmed by coach Harjinder Singh of the CFA in the press. It's a shame that nothing concrete has been put in place already, but then this is India and we are football fans. Planning for the future is something we have never seen from our administrators and perhaps we should not expect it.
But maybe the Chandigarh Football Academy could have kept the boys in their fold a year or two longer and then released them into the Indian football scene.
India has a great chance in terms of harnessing this group of youngsters. Let's not blow it and make an April fool of ourselves.
IndianFootball.Com celebrates its 9th anniversary and looks forward to its 1 millionth unique IP checked Hit
Also this April, we offer a heartfelt thanks to all the fans of Indian football that have made our site IndianFootball.Com the most authoritative website on football in India. It has been nine long years, but the encouragement from all our readers has motivated us to become the largest repository of all records and information pertaining to football tournaments, player profiles, match reports and statistics across both domestic and international football where India or Indian clubs have participated.
And we look forward to yet another landmark, that of the 1 millionth visitor to our site this month. The love that we see for Indian football from our readers keeps us going.
Thank You!!
Footnote:
It would be tragic if the AIFF in its wisdom decides to do away with the relegation concept in an effort to enlarge the NFL as has been reported in some press write-ups. Relegation is tantamount to cleansing process and the weak must make way for the strong. Relegation is how the clubs are kept on their toes and how the league revitalizes itself every season.
[ IndianFootball.Com editor column ]
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