Overview
Yeah the topic appears great, football being the most popular game of the world and India, second in the world population charts. But, there has not been any of the magic that was expected from the land of a billion people .And, the irony lies in the fact that we have reached the moon but are yet to reach the main stage of a FIFA World Cup.
Legends of the game.
Football in India is like a minority without a reservation quota
Only an Indian football fan realizes the fact that it is quite difficult to have any conversation about football. In a class of 40, hardly 4-5 students will emerge who know about players other than Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and who can tell the difference between the Liga BBVA and the BPL.
The Indian football team.
I-league - A Mystery Yet To Be Solved
We can name the 11 players and 5 substitutes of any major Premier League team but we cannot tell apart one I-League club from the other. We don’t even know the total number of teams in the league let alone the names of the players. And we all have been through that phase in which we learn that watching Youtube videos is a better way to gain some skills as the coaching setup at the grass-root level depicts a dismal picture.
Scene from a match.
Steps which can bring about a change
The ISL which was started in 2014 brings about some hope for the youngsters of the country as now the talented lot get a chance to be groomed by some of the world’s best. New schemes are being implemented and training camps being held for the youngsters so that they cultivate interest towards the game. Hopefully, this will be the start of a period at the end of which India will emerge as a team capable of holding its own against the World’s best.
Winners of the 1st isl season.