KOLKATA: Most football fans dread the international break. As soon as it starts, fans start to count down the days before the European league resumes. This year onwards, the September and October international windows are combined into a bigger three week window. This makes the wait longer. But for most Indian football fans, the last-three weeks has felt like a treat. While they may have not won games against Panama (1-1), Brazil (0-4) or Uruguay(1-6) they were able to see quality players in full flesh.
But from a developmental perspective, how do these matches benefit?
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) pulled out of the FIFA ASEAN Cup featuring Southeast Asian teams, citing commitments to play the friendlies. The tournament concluded on October 5, with Indonesia winning the invitational event.
While in spectacle it might help bring eyes to the sport, it does little in addressing the key problems: Grassroots and academies. The visiting managers – Carlo Ancelotti and Diego Forlan – shared the same message: build a footballing culture, get more youngsters into the ecosystem and make the league better.
And the report by Bengaluru-based football consultant Richard Hood shows India’s grim reality with the beautiful game. Titled, “Our talent clusters – Indian football hotbeds and how to develop them,” the report shows how India does not lack talent, but rather does not give children time to play and grow. The report notes that players from only 35 districts across seven states of the country make up for more than 80 percent of game time in India’s top-tier football competition for the 11 seasons until 2024-2025. According to the report published last year, the regions which produce most of the talent are Imphal in Manipur, Aizawl in Mizoram, the metropolitan region of Kolkata, North-west region of Punjab and Chandigarh, South Goa, Malabar Region of Kerala and Mumbai.
The first problem here is the spread of talent. The sport needs to grow across regions so that a talent pool is built.
But the second problem is what makes matters complicated. Even in said districts where players grow, Hood’s report identifies a ‘play deficit.’ National team programs of top 20 nations have kids aged 5-13 play at least 40 matches a season and train at least four times a week. However, in India, kids of the same age group play around 15 matches a season, with the U12 category seeing the most a season (24).
The nation misses out on making polished players because of a lack of game time. The report stresses on the importance of game time and its neurological, physical and emotional development. This brings a Match-training-match loop (MTM) which helps development through trial, error and adaptation. It is the cumulation of these experiences that delivers consistent progress at the international level," the report states.
“India’s catch-up game in football will be won or lost at the district, taluka and neighbourhood level, not in nation v nation narratives,” the report states.
While India managed to crack the Uruguayan defence in their defeat on Tuesday, they have room to improve as an Asian competitor. If India were to play top opposition like these on merit, the first step would be to address the play-deficit for young children and build a talent pool.
