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Hindustan Times
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
HT Kick Off: What numbers do not reveal
Apart from offering a crash course on the role and duty of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) president, last Friday's media conference went big on numbers to highlight what has changed since September 2022 and what has not. Since data is the new oil, this deserves praise. It pointed out how India's goals scored per match has gone down while goals conceded has remained nearly the same even though there have been three head coaches between 2015 and now. AIFF's slick presentation detailed the strikers chosen by Stephen Constantine, Igor Stimac and Manolo Marquez to embellish the point that all three had picked the best available. Accepting that there are not enough Indian strikers, president Kalyan Chaubey spoke about the need for discussions to a problem that predates Indian Super League (ISL). (In 20 seasons of I-League, including when it was India's top tier competition, there have been only two editions where an Indian was among the top scorers.) The AIFF president's suggestion to reduce the number of foreigners though could hit Indian clubs at a time the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has lifted restrictions on imported players in continental competitions. It also comes over two years after Stimac had spoken of the need to restrict the position of strikers and attacking midfielders to Indians only. But, like with the data on the men's team, numbers do not always tell the tale. For instance, highlighting organising 1697 matches in a single season means little if the men's national under-23 team barely plays – proof of what can be achieved if they played more came in Tajikistan needing two stoppage-time goals to win against a 10-man India – the top tier of the women's league has only 14 matches, the under-17 I-League can be won by playing 15-16 matches, the men's game at the elite level stretches to around 30 matches and the off-season is as long as the season. In nearly three decades of national leagues, AIFF has not been able to grow the season. For comparison consider this: Hong Kong's league ran from August 30, 2024 to May 25, 2025. Also, how does a 232% increase in grassroots leagues in two seasons from 2019-20 compensate for the lack of an AIFF pathway between the under-17 and the men's leagues? The 631% increase in the number of coaching courses from 2017-20 to 2022-25 is commendable because, as AIFF says in its presentation, 'If a federation can develop good coaches, the good coaches can create excellent players.' Including futsal and beach soccer, India has 16,596 coaches with some kind of AFC badge, AIFF has said but did not mention how many of them have found gainful employment. While the performance of the young girls and boys at AIFF's training programmes need to be applauded – uner-15 boys have defeated a number of ISL under-17 teams and the Indian Arrows Women Juniors have beaten clubs with older players in IWL2 – it would have been nice if an update was provided on the new elite youth league AIFF said it would start with funds saved from the successful boys' Arrows project that was scrapped by this regime in September 2022. Taking nothing away from the performance of the boys and girls, is it also not a reflection of how seriously clubs take youth development because the season is so short? Information that ₹2333 crore being invested by state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Telangana, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland was a welcome development in a country desperately in need for investment in infrastructure. Given that Inter Kashi still cannot find a venue in Uttar Pradesh, who, as per AIFF, are committed to investing ₹1005 crore, they can call home, it would have been nice if timelines of the projects were provided. Also welcome was AIFF's ₹14.70 crore surplus at a time when the agreement with commercial partners is months from ending. Here too, context is important and it would have been nice if AIFF had said how much it has saved on salaries by not appointing long-term coaches for most of its national teams. AIFF being committed to get naturalised players too is a sign that it is in step with time. Chaubey spoke of 33 players with whom AIFF was in touch. Good news, but wouldn't it have been great if details about their clubs and playing positions been provided along with the explanation of how they got on the shortlist?
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First Post
04-06-2025
- Business
- First Post
Infighting between national coaches and AIFF: the root of Indian football team's woes?
India had three back-to-back international triumphs in 2023. Who could anticipate then that a blind alley was waiting for Indian football just round the corner? read more July 20, 2023, was a red-letter day in the recent history of Indian football. As FIFA released its new men's rankings, . A 64-month wait had ended. India broke into the top hundred. Finally. It was the celebration time for Indian football, whose sky looked azure, the grass looked emerald green. The long-cherished ascending dream in international football has begun with three back-to-back triumphs in the three-nation tournament in Imphal, the Intercontinental Cup in Bhubaneswar, and the SAFF Championship title in Bengaluru. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Who could anticipate then that a blind alley was waiting for Indian football just round the corner? As India take on Thailand in an International Friendly on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, they stand at the 127th position in the FIFA rankings. Ironic as it may sound, Thailand, who were 113th on July 20, 2023, currently occupies the 99th place. More from Football What exactly went wrong? Why did a team that bagged three titles between March and September 2023 against decent rivals and earned a memorable draw against mighty Iraq in the King's Cup, losing only on penalties, suffer such a slump? Is it fait accompli, as they normally say? The answer is: Certainly not. To put it plainly, more than the players and the coaches, it is the sheer mismanagement of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), headed by its President, Kalyan Chaubey, that has led to this situation. The AIFF has not only failed to capitalise on the upward graph, but has also downgraded the entire effort with poor planning, inability to strike a balance between the clubs and the National Team, improper handling of players, and by creating a cantankerous relationship with the National coaches. Unfortunately, the seed of the downfall was sown in July 2023 when India broke into the top hundred. The participation of the National Team in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, became the bone of contention. Former Indian football team coach Igor Stimac. Image: Reuters The ultimate fallout and bitter difference between the head of the AIFF and National Coach Igor Stimac began at this juncture, which finally culminated in the termination of the Croatian coach's contract in June 2024. Stimac was at no fault when he suggested well in advance that, since football in the Asian Games was an Under-23 tournament, he should take a team of U23 players to the King's Cup in Thailand in September (7-10) and the same squad to Hangzhou later in the month. After due consultations with the ISL clubs, Stimac also submitted a list of players to be registered for the Asian Games. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD AIFF didn't heed the advice and decided to send senior players to Thailand. It didn't stop there. The AIFF President promised the Sports Ministry that senior players like Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan, and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu would travel to the Asian Games without even bothering to inform the National coach. The mess that was created during the Asian Games would go down as one of the darkest chapters in Indian football history. The AIFF had to change the squad three times after clubs refused to release players, the visas were not ready, and a terrible travel plan left the players fatigued, as they had to sleep in the airport lounge. India didn't have enough bench strength in the first match, as at least two players were yet to reach. The fallout began from here. A furious Stimac started speaking his mind, which made the widening difference between the coach and the federation a matter of public knowledge. Twice, Stimac was served with show-cause notices, which further complicated the issue. By the time India travelled for the Asian Cup in January 2024, the very fabric of the National Team was already in tatters. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The rot had set in by then. India could not win a single official match after the away win over Kuwait in the World Cup qualifiers in November 2023. Almost the same set of players, who looked like the next-gen lot in 2023, were reduced to a rudderless bunch a year later. The situation worsened with the AIFF making no effort to arrest the decline. They were busy showing the door to Stimac, who levelled some damning allegations against Chaubey. No rule was followed to terminate Stimac, who, in retaliation, threatened to go to FIFA and walked away with compensation that left the AIFF poorer by . Once the Stimac era was over, things were expected to settle down in the Marquez Manolo era. It hardly happened that way as India continued to struggle in the international arena. Rumours are now rife that the Spanish coach and may say goodbye to the coveted post after the Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong on June 10. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Manolo Marquez is reportedly set to leave the Indian football team's coach in June 2025. Image: AIFF While Manolo hasn't uttered a word publicly, there is something seriously wrong with the setup that could force the second National coach in a short time to leave. The AIFF hasn't come up with any fresh plan, not even a Technical Committee meeting was convened after the disappointing draw against Bangladesh in March. With the Supreme Court expected to announce its verdict on the new AIFF constitution sometime in July, which may result in mid-term elections of the body, it won't be a surprise if Sunil Chhetri and his boys are left to fend for its own for the Asian Cup qualifiers. Fait accompli? Yes, now, it would be the apt description of the situation. One of the most renowned football journalists in India, Jaydeep Basu worked for 37 year career as a sports reporter in renowned publications. He was Director of Communication and Media at AIFF from July 2022 to March 2025. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Hindustan Times
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Sports Ministry may rethink rule on OCI card holders
New Delhi: The Sports Ministry may resume allowing Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card holders to represent India in select disciplines. The move can help football where it has long been felt that OCI card holders can at least be a short-term fix for the national team. Tapping into the diaspora is practised by many football federations of which Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines are some examples. Ranked 123rd, Indonesia are in the third round of 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the surge in their performance attributed to a number of players who were born in Netherlands. In April 2024, Indonesia were ranked 134 and below India. Eighteen of the 23-player Philippines squad for the 2023 Women's World Cup were born in the USA. Since 2023, players born in Finland, Scotland, Argentina, Spain and Brazil have represented Malaysia's men's national team. That explains why calls to use OCI and PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) players in the national team has got louder over the years with former national coaches Stephen Constantine and Igor Stimac urging the government to have a rethink. In 2023, All India Football Federation (AIFF) said it had set up a task force to do a feasibility study on PIOs. It is not clear what came out of it. In tennis too, India have lacked depth for a long time. The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has done little to groom talent. A sports ministry official said on Thursday there was no harm in relooking at the 2008 policy that allowed only Indian citizens to represent the country. 'If allowing OCI participation boosts the national team especially in disciplines like football, tennis, or any other discipline, then why not? It can be only for sports where Indians are not doing well,' said the official requesting anonymity given the sensitive nature of the issue. India does not permit dual citizenship. But in the absence of guidelines, a number of OCI card holders have represented India even as the issue came up in courts of the country. Prakash Amritraj was in India's Davis Cup team and US-born tennis player Shikha Oberoi has been part of the national team. In 2008, then sports minister MS Gill introduced a policy that allowed only Indian citizens to represent the country. Which meant Izumi Arata, an Indian-Japanese who had been playing club football in India since 2006, could represent the national football team only after taking Indian citizenship in 2013. BCCI, corporates promise support for Olympic sport Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya met over 50 corporate houses on Thursday and spoke about the need to come forward to support Olympic sport. Officials from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) were also present. 'There were 58 corporates in the meeting and they are very keen on supporting Olympic disciplines. BCCI too is interested in adopting two to three Olympic disciplines in the Olympic Centres of Excellence, the sports ministry is aiming to start this year,' an official said. The sports ministry's ambitious plan is to upgrade facilities of SAI, National Centres of Excellence into world class Olympic centres, focussing on one sport in one centre. 'We want to start with 50-55 athletes in such centres. There will be one corporate house backing one centre and top class facilities will be provided to train athletes.'
