India’s recent victories against Myannmar and Cambodia, coupled with their run of 6 victories since last year, has helped elevate the team to the 101st position in the FIFA World Rankings. This meteoric rise of close to 50 places means the Indian Football team has achieved its highest ever ranking in the last two decades. Though this is a cause to celebrate, it does not do to rest on our laurels. The real work begins now.
As India’s all-time leading goal scorer and Bengaluru FC’s top striker Sunil Chhetri so succinctly put it:
“While we should celebrate every success, big or small, we also need to realize that the real test begins now. In my opinion, rankings are a very fickle measurement of one’s success and it is best to not get carried away by it. You lose one game, you slide down 40 places, you win one, and you climb up 50. The real achievement will be when we cling on to this position or better it over the next three to four years.”
Wise words indeed.
Working hard towards the next step is essential. After all, Sunil Chhetri, for all his prowess, isn’t getting any younger. We need an equally adept – if not better – long term replacement for him, and replacing a talisman player is never going to be easy. Plus, despite all the fanfare over the Indian Super League, it is just a two-month extravaganza. More like a short sprint than a long marathon which develops teams, tactics and even clubs over the years. To top that, there are talks of the ISL being made the country’s premier league, with the I-League to be relegated to the second tier. This is bad news for many clubs who will be left out of the merger due to meagre finances and similar reasons. In fact, the current champions Aizawl FC, whose dream run from relegation fodder to Champions has caught the country’s imagination, could be the victims of this merger. This does not bode well, especially since they have built from the ground up, with a lot of focus on grassroots development. However, if this is what winning the championship gets them, then why will other clubs bother with development in the future?
No, there has to be a better way to do things, to make a league which runs throughout the year by involving every club from the I-League, instead of just a select few.
India should take inspiration from Belgium, who just have a two-tiered league, but who have produced a bounty of talented footballers in the last decade. The AIFF can similarly look at Wales, who were in a similarly weak position – around 110 to be precise – in just 2011. Since then, their rise has been meteoric, aided by the likes of Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Ashley Williams, all players who developed by leaps and bounds in the competitive and tactical atmosphere of the English Premier League.
Thus, a combination of a strong football league with 18-20 teams involved in it, despite differing finances, and an impetus on grassroot development is the way forward for Indian Football.
The question is – will the AIFF listen?
