Indian football has a lot to learn, not just on the pitch
On Friday, something happened in Indian football that is still being heatedly debated among fans, something that defies the very tenet that sports represents. Sunil Chhetri scored an injury-time free-kick for Bengaluru FC against Kerala Blasters in an Indian Super League playoff game in Bengaluru.
The nature of the goal and what happened next spiralled into a controversy that overshadowed everything else in Indian football since, including a memorable Santosh Trophy victory for Karnataka. With the score goalless and the knockout game heading into extra-time, Chhetri stood over the ball while the Blasters keeper Prabhsukhan Gill organised his wall. Then, with everyone else distracted, the forward attempted an audacious chip that ended up in the empty net. The players in yellow were incensed when the referee allowed it. Their coach, Ivan Vukomanovic, took it one step further, ordering his players off the field. The match ended with more than 20 minutes still left to play. The result section read forfeited.
The incident and the reaction to it show that Indian football has a lot to learn, and not just in terms of footballing quality. First, there is no doubt that the root cause of such a controversy is some poor officiating by referee Crystal John, who allowed the match to get out of control at a crucial stage. While a quick free-kick is permitted in football, the norm is that the opposition has every right to block it. At the Kanteerava Stadium, though, John appeared to ask a Blasters player to step away from Chhetri’s path. Second, there is no excuse for Vukomanovic’s act. While refereeing has been a constant headache in Indian football, refusing to continue a match signals a general lack of respect for the game. It is considered blasphemy.
Third, the reaction of some supporters after the game was to hurl abuse and vitriol towards Chhetri and his family. No player, let alone one of Chhetri’s stature, should have to go through that for anything that happened on the pitch. The biggest measure of any country’s success in football is always the result on the pitch. But unless the whole footballing ecosystem grows along with the quality on the field, any such success will ring hollow. Referees, club coaches or fans, everyone is a part of that ecosystem. And if this incident shows anything, it is that there still has to be all-around growth.