India: Football's sleeping giant?

[Maharaj]

As Indian football sleeps, its young hopefuls dream of playing abroad - CNN.com

 

[Abhijeet Dey]

Why do people of india support only cricket & corrupt IPL? If countries like England can do well in both football, cricket & Olympics at the national level, why can't India with a billion people produce a world class football team in same level as England or Spain. Small countries such as Croatia and Ecuador are in FIFA top 10 rankings. After reading I feel SHAMEFUL for myself and all my countrymen.

Mali is ranked higher than Japan and Australia in FIFA World rankings in spite of having a Civil War

 

[Abhijeet Dey]

Abhishek Bachchan nurtures dream for Indian football team
IANS May 24, 2013, 04.54PM IST

Actor Abhishek Bachchan, an avid football fan, wishes that the Indian football team qualifies for the FIFA finals slated for 2014.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to take place in Brazil from June 12-July 13. As of now, only Brazil is the qualifier team for the finals.

Abhishek believes the Indian team will be able to make it through with hard work and determination.

"I am a big football fan and I have a small dream that India's national football team should qualify for the next world cup finals," Abhishek told reporters at the Indian Football Awards 2013, where he was accompanied by football player Bhaichung Bhutia.

Besides, the actor is said to have been invited as a special guest to watch the UEFA Champions League 2013 final at Wembley, London on Saturday with veteran cricketer Kapil Dev and Bollywood producer Bunty Walia.

"It's a very difficult task. There is a rough road ahead, but I really hope that we can popularise the sport enough and when everyone will work hard, we will be able to qualify," he added.

 

[Maharaj]

Arata Izumi became the first foreign footballer to play for India.

Its sad that Michael Chopra wasn't able to play for India.
Michael Chopra's Indian Football Team Dream Ends | Sportskeeda

 

[TrueSpirit]

Why do people of india support only cricket & corrupt IPL? If countries like England can do well in both football, cricket & Olympics at the national level, why can't India with a billion people produce a world class football team in same level as England or Spain. Small countries such as Croatia and Ecuador are in FIFA top 10 rankings. After reading I feel SHAMEFUL for myself and all my countrymen.

Mali is ranked higher than Japan and Australia in FIFA World rankings in spite of having a Civil War

Hope things change for the better. Its not so difficult after all. Playing Football involves lesser resources & expense than Cricket.
I wonder, what is stopping Indians from taking it up.

Personally, I enjoy playing soccer, hockey & volleyball more than any other sport.. ...& the occasional swimming.

 

[Abhijeet Dey]

How much money is required for Indian football team & Indian Football as a whole to compete in the standards of Spain, England, Germany and Brazil? India has billion strong manpower (most of them young people) to make a world class football team.

Is US$1 Billion enough? :ranger:

 

[datguy79]

How much money is required for Indian football team & Indian Football as a whole to compete in the standards of Spain, England, Germany and Brazil? India has billion strong manpower (most of them young people) to make a world class football team.

Is US$1 Billion enough? :ranger:

Three words: broad base participation.

People don't realize that England alone has 7000 teams ranging all the way from EPL to amateur divisions.

 

[Abhijeet Dey]

Three words: broad base participation.

People don't realize that England alone has 7000 teams ranging all the way from EPL to amateur divisions.

Small Countries like Croatia & Ecuador are in the Top 10 of FIFA rankings and India is below 100 which is a shame. If they can do it, what's India's excuse? If possible India can have 10,000 local teams. But how much money & investment is required that is the main issue.

 

[datguy79]

Small Countries like Croatia & Ecuador are in the Top 10 of FIFA rankings and India is below 100 which is a shame. If they can do it, what's India's excuse? If possible India can have 10,000 local teams. But how much money & investment is required that is the main issue.

There are a few problems with Asian football, and India is guilty of all of them:

1) lack of financial incentives for poorer families in order to convince them to enroll their kids into a football program, specially in India where there is so much emphasis on getting into university.
2) lack of football academies which can filter out the talented youth from the rest and develop them, which leads to...
3) tendency to start playing at a later age. If you want to develop a world-class footballer, start them at 6 or 7, not when they are 16 and their potential for development is almost gone.
4)overall restructuring of the Indian Premier League. For example, some of the matches are played in the afternoon in blazing hot weather. No one is going to come and watch at that time.
5) Pitches and pitch conditions. I once saw a ball hit a small hill and bounce over the goalkeeper who had already dived to his left.

I am sure there are more issues, just my two cents.

 

[Abhijeet Dey]

When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is.-- Oscar Wilde

The lack of money is the root of all evil.-- Mark Twain

 

[CCTV]

Without corruption, yes.

A lost reputation: India banned from Olympics over corruption

 

[Abhijeet Dey]

What is Croatia's secret to sporting success?
By Guy De Launey
BBC News, Zagreb

World beaters? Fifa currently ranks Croatia's national side above five-times World Cup winners Brazil

Everyone seems to have an opinion about sport. Ask three people about their views on a particular team, player or competition and the chances are they will give totally different answers.

But ask a Croatian why their small country excels on the international sporting stage, and the response is surprisingly uniform.

"Croats are just naturally talented," says Igor Stimac, the coach of Croatia's national football team. Assistant Sports Minister and national basketball legend Petar Skansi believes his country is "a talented sports nation".

Romeo Jozak, head of the Croatian Football Federation technical committee, goes a step further.

"God gave us amazing, talented kids," he says.

It has to be said, the evidence adds up.

High ranking
Fifa promoted Croatia to number four in its most recent world football rankings.

"We were third in 1999," sniffs Igor Stimac.

But the fact is that only World and European champions Spain, the ever-reliable Germany and South American powerhouse Argentina rank above Croatia.

Italy, the Netherlands and France all fall well short, while Brazil languish 19th.

Croatia also excels at basketball, tennis, water polo and handball. At the London Olympics Croatia placed 15th on a medals table weighted by population size.

Punching above its weight? It certainly looks that way. But why?

Physical attributes may play a part. One of the first things that visitors to the Western Balkans notice is how many tall people there are in Croatia and its neighbours Serbia and Montenegro.

Statistics tend to back up that impression.

But there has to be more to it than that.

With a population more than 10 times greater, England can also call on plenty of tall, strong players. Yet they currently rank below Croatia in the Fifa listings.

Raw talent
Meanwhile, despite having key players at the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and Chelsea, Serbia have fallen down the rankings and will not make it to the World Cup next year. Curiously, Serbia still excels at tennis - an individual rather than a team sport.

Romeo Jozak, of the Croatian Football Federation, thinks this shows it is no good having the raw material if you do not have a co-ordinated approach.

He oversees all of Croatian football's age group teams from the under-21s down. He must be doing something right. His players have qualified for the forthcoming under-20 World Cup (as one of only six European nations) and under-17 European Championship, and they are looking in a strong position for other age group tournaments, for which qualification is notoriously difficult.

Such success vindicates a national strategy for player development, emphasising different skills at different ages, that all Croatian clubs have agreed to implement, with technical assistance coming from the football federation.

The result is that players going into the national side have all learned the same way.

"You have to start with a unified vision at the age of 12," says Jozak. "Four years ago we came up with a curriculum, a technical strategy from the under-14s upwards. Every generation must follow that. It's all about being talented, having a vision and clear selection criteria."

 

[mikhail]

Without corruption, yes.

A lost reputation: India banned from Olympics over corruption

mate don't you worry about India,i konw we have many corrupted people in the system but still we have this remarkable talent to turn around and deliver in times of need!but the problem here is that Football doesn't get the necessary publicity or support from the G.O.I. to encourage young boys and girls to take up this sport and make a career out of it as Indians are generally more into cricket than to football.
so the G.O.I. has to take the initiative to make Football popular among the younger population of this country but until that happens Football will always remain as a second tier sport in India:cool2:!

 

[Abhijeet Dey]

FIFA World Ranking (May 2013)

Rank Team
1 Spain
2 Germany
3 Argentina
4 Croatia
5 Portugal
6 Colombia
7 England
8 Italy
9 Netherlands
10 Ecuador
11 Russia
12 Côte d'Ivoire
13 Greece
14 Switzerland
15 Belgium
16 Mexico
17 Uruguay
18 France
19 Brazil
20 Denmark
21 Bosnia-Herzegovina
22 Ghana
23 Chile
24 Sweden
25 Czech Republic
26 Mali
27 Montenegro
28 Nigeria
29 USA
30 Japan
------------------------------------
150 India :shocked:

 

[Sabir]

FIFA World Ranking (May 2013)

Rank Team
1 Spain
2 Germany
3 Argentina
4 Croatia
5 Portugal
6 Colombia
7 England
8 Italy
9 Netherlands
10 Ecuador
11 Russia
12 Côte d'Ivoire
13 Greece
14 Switzerland
15 Belgium
16 Mexico
17 Uruguay
18 France
19 Brazil
20 Denmark
21 Bosnia-Herzegovina
22 Ghana
23 Chile
24 Sweden
25 Czech Republic
26 Mali
27 Montenegro
28 Nigeria
29 USA
30 Japan
------------------------------------
150 India :shocked:

It is nice to have one more football fan in the forum. We already have a thread on Indian football discussion in Sports section. But I have stopped updating as there was hardly any response.

On the lower side of the table the FIFA Ranking doesnt make much sense. I fyou play friendlies on FIFA mentioned dates and win you can easily move up the list. Even beating Nepal , Bhutan or East Timor. Again, weightage is more in case of WC or WC qualifiers. Throughout the 2012, Nepal and Bangladesh stayed ahead of us as they won matches in WC qualifiers. Nepal defeated East Timor and Bangladesh defeated Pakistan and Lebanon (in home match). We held UAE (who had played 1990 WC) 2-2 in home match of WC qualifier and Qatar 2-1 in a friendly. Still we could not get much points as the ranking system values a 'win' more than a 'draw' and a WC qualifier more than afriendly.

So, instead of bothering about ranking we should have a vision to be among the top Asian teams by 2020 (Please dont think about Spain or Brazil- That needs generations and total upliftment of our socio-economic condition), Now, What I consider top Asin Teams- Australia. NZ (both are included in Asian for the qualifiers), Israel (though a Asian team it is included in European group due to political reason), South Korea, Japan. Iran, Iraq, Jordon, Ujbekistan, Saudi Arabia. We are nowhere near to beat or even hold them as of now doesnt matter who is the coach or what preparation we have. We need to be among this team by 2020. Propably we can beat other strong teams with good team selection, preparation and coaching. You can consider Bahrin,Qatar, Oman, North Korea etc as the teams of second level.

Now, How the Sleeping giant should go ahead-

1) Including Foreign Players- Our Citizenship policy is a great barrier to include Indian origin or Foreign players. You cant expect Michael Chopra to give up British citizenship to play in Indian team. And there are only limited number of good Indian origin players. Even Izumi Arata is only a mideocre player. He wont make in the first 11 of the top teams like East Bengal or Churchill Bros. But, we can tap the number of African players who come and stay for long in India. Practically thinking Odafa Okoli Or Ranti Martin are now more Indian than Michael Chopra. Most of the Arab countries do that (excluding Iran and Iraq), even you can remember a Brazilian guy playing for Japan. Deco , who is a Brazilian played for Portugal. Of course, it is more satisfying to have sons of soil only in the National team, but we can include some foreign players in key players for short term. Some success in International stage will do good for popularity and bring investment.

2) Spread in all part of the Country. Now it is popular in some pockets only like N-E, Bengal, Goa and to some extent Kerala and Maharastra. You can see it is only a fraction of our big country and big population. IMG -Reliance is trying to start an IPL like tournament with some big names. I dont have much hope from it, but, it can get some public attention.

3) Involvement of Corporates- All necessary steps we can think require money. Fan base club like East Bengal , Mohun Bagan etc or family based Goan clubs neighther have money nor vision to create and maintain good infrastructure. So, involvement of Corporate sectors is very much needed. Tata never goes beyonf their Academy; Mahindra , JCT already removed their teams. Bengal Mumbai Club, FC Kochi etc which were set up by corporates are long gone as they didnt have any fan base. If IMG-Reliance succeed, some corporates may be interested again. Even if it kills traditional clubs I wont mind. Groups Like Relaince, Tata, Mahindra etc certainly have the capacity to build infrastructure like Stadium and other facilities which East Bangal , Mohun Bagan cant do in 100 years.

 

[Sabir]

Another drawback is the socio-economic background of our football players. 99% of them are with very poor economic and educational back-ground. It affects their vision. they dont think that far- like playing for India or playing in Europe. So they dont feel the urge to keep on developping themselves.Lot of players from N-E show immense promise when they are 17-18 but they vanish very soon (actually swallowed by city life, Disco, Girls etc) However , it can be changed over generations. Nowadays footballers are also earning well- Good India players like Nabi, Sunil Chetry, Mehtab can easily get around 40-50 Lakh. Hope they will take better care of next generations from their family.

 

[Sabir]

How much money is required for Indian football team & Indian Football as a whole to compete in the standards of Spain, England, Germany and Brazil? India has billion strong manpower (most of them young people) to make a world class football team.

Is US$1 Billion enough? :ranger:

Multyply with 10...

You need atleast 20 Stadiums which comply with FIFA standard. Guess how much it will cost.

You need atleast 5 academies (TFA standard will do) for North, South, East, West and N-E......and 15-20 regional academies or youth development programmes ( U19, U16, U13 levels) of the top clubs which will be the feeder for senior levels. Guess how much it will cost- infrastructure like 3 practice fields, Swiming pools, Jogging tracks, Gym, fooding and clothing, schooling of the boys, deomestic and foreign tours, salaries of players, coaching staffs, physical trainer, doctor etc.

These are the things to start with, other things can be taken care of once the things move...

 

[Abhijeet Dey]

Multyply with 10...

You need atleast 20 Stadiums which comply with FIFA standard. Guess how much it will cost.

You need atleast 5 academies (TFA standard will do) for North, South, East, West and N-E......and 15-20 regional academies or youth development programmes ( U19, U16, U13 levels) of the top clubs which will be the feeder for senior levels. Guess how much it will cost- infrastructure like 3 practice fields, Swiming pools, Jogging tracks, Gym, fooding and clothing, schooling of the boys, deomestic and foreign tours, salaries of players, coaching staffs, physical trainer, doctor etc.

These are the things to start with, other things can be taken care of once the things move...

Dont forget that majority of all Indians (except North East) are also responsible for not taking special interest in other sports. ONLY CRICKET. I think it is in our genes and bloodline. Do you mean to say that multiply with 10 is $ 20 billion (money required)???? THAT'S A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY



Only GOD can save Indian Football.

 

[Abhijeet Dey]

Colombia's on the rise
Posted by Adam Bate ESPN

With the national team up to sixth in the FIFA world rankings, there is a buzz about Colombian football right now. Star names, stylish play and a series of impressive results have combined to raise hopes that a new team is emerging in South America that's capable of causing a stir on the world stage.

But then again, Colombian football has been celebrated before. In the build-up to the 1994 World Cup there was huge anticipation following a run of just one defeat from 34 games. Most notably they annihilated Argentina 5-0 in Buenos Aires, the Albicelestes' first-ever home defeat in World Cup qualifying. The great Pele had even predicted Colombia would triumph in the United States -- and this was back in the days when a Pele prediction wasn't necessarily greeted with widespread derision.

But the tragic events that followed are well-documented and shocked football. A surprise group-stage exit amid rumours of pressure from drug cartels culminated in the horrifying murder of captain Andres Escobar.

In short, it's been a long road back for Colombian football. The team has not qualified for a World Cup since 1998. There has been the occasional false dawn (the 2001 Copa America triumph on home soil provided some joy) but by the summer of 2011, Colombia had slumped to its lowest world ranking since records began.

Yet the turnaround since then has been spectacular. Not only is Colombia on course to qualify for next year's World Cup, but containing any excitement about the team's chances is proving tricky.

Since the beginning of 2012, Colombia has won seven of its nine matches while the only game it hasn't won in the current season was a creditable draw in Brazil. For the legendary 5-0 victory against Argentina in 1993, see the 4-0 drubbing of Uruguay in September. And what's more, this team boasts a genuine superstar.

Radamel Falcao is widely regarded as the greatest out-and-out striker in the game today. He has been a revelation in European club football but his performances at international level are equally impressive of late as goals in qualifying wins over Uruguay and Chile were followed by a brace against Paraguay. Falcao is not alone, either, with experience also coming in the form of goalkeeper David Ospina and veteran defender Mario Yepes.

However it's is at the other end that Colombia boasts the greatest potential with a vast array of talent to choose in Falcao's support. Jackson Martinez and the brilliant James Rodriguez are both starring for Porto while another former Dragoes favorite, Fredy Guarin, has developed into a key figure at Inter. Elsewhere, Juan Cuadrado is enjoying an impressive season with Fiorentina and Carlos Bacca is the top scorer in Belgium.

Though the players are the key, it was the arrival of former Argentina coach Jose Pekerman that provided the spark to ignite their potential. The first foreign coach of the national team in 30 years, Pekerman has a reputation for an old-school style having built his attractive Argentina side around the creative skills of Juan Roman Riquelme once upon a time. As Colombian legend Carlos Valderrama puts it, Pekerman has "given Colombian football its identity back."

Perhaps more significantly for his and Colombia's long-term prospects, the 63-year-old also enjoyed remarkable success at youth level with Argentina, winning the FIFA Under-20 World Cup an astonishing three times. As such, it should come as little surprise that Pekerman has shown a willingness to introduce young talent to the squad. For example, highly-rated playmaker Juan Fernando Quintero had already made his senior debut by the time he starred at the South American Under-20 Championship earlier this year.

Colombia won that tournament, the first time they had done so outside of their own country, and it is this latest influx of talent providing encouragement that there is something being built to last. Recent investment in youth infrastructure -- the country even hosted the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2011 -- suggests that Colombia could finally be in a position to harness its vast potential. After all, this is a football-crazy nation of almost 50 million people -- a larger population than Argentina and 14 times the size of Uruguay.

While it's true that they're used to false dawns in Colombia, success looks like it might finally shine on the country. Former Monaco chief executive and renowned global scout Tor-Kristian Karlsen is certainly impressed. "I'm quite convinced that Colombia will become one of the dominating football nations in the years to come," said Karlsen.

Wins over Bolivia and Venezuela later this month would all but ensure qualification for the 2014 World Cup, the first in South America since 1978 and the first in Brazil since 1950. That year the hosts were upstaged by lesser-fancied South American rivals Uruguay in the final. If Pekerman can continue to develop his team, sage judges will not rule out Colombia providing the shock next summer -- and finally consigning the grim memories of 1994 to history.

 

[Abhijeet Dey]

So how should we proceed to make soccer the most popular sport among Indian youth? Top priority in Indian Budget with billions of dollars in cash for spreading propaganda in support of Football.