CAFA Cup: Bronze finish brings back the smiles, but is it a flash in the pan?

A bronze finish in the CAFA Nations Cup, where the Blue Tigers had entered the fray as the second lowest-ranked team, deserves all the praise. It’s been a while since Indian football has been in the spotlight for the right reasons, but new coach Khalid Jamil’s men showed anything is possible in football if one believes and has the stomach for a fight.

The mood is certainly upbeat in the country’s football fraternity, with former internationals gushing about the never-say-die spirit the coach had instilled in his players, along with an ability to learn from their mistakes.

“All credit to the players, as they never lost faith. The most important takeaway is that they played as a team,” Jamil said after the bronze medal match at Sohor, Tajikistan.

However, the million-dollar question is whether the taste of a podium finish in a tournament like this can usher in a turnaround — and one can only say for the moment that it should at least energise the team for the two remaining 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers against Singapore (despite being in a precarious position in this group).

There is still a month to go before India returns to the pursuit of seeking its third straight ticket to the AFC Asian Cup finals on 9 October – the job rendered tough, as they now languish at the bottom of their four-team group with one loss and a draw after two matches.

How creditable was India’s third place finish in the eight-team tournament, which had the likes of Asian heavyweights Iran and Uzbekistan (both finalists) in the fray?

It was certainly several notches above the SAFF tournament – their only benchmark of success in recent times – where Gurpreet Singh Sandhu & Co. won both their matches against higher-ranked teams Tajikistan and Oman. Their defence held on for nearly an hour against mighty Iran and let in two goals only in the dying minutes of the game to finally finish with a 3-0 scoreline.

What may have also worked in India’s favour this time was the lack of expectations – with the AIFF zeroing in on Khalid Jamil virtually as the default choice due to budgetary constraints, as well as the popular sentiment among former greats on the technical committee to opt for a first Indian coach since Savio Medeira in 2012.

The first signs of daring Jamil showed was in keeping the 41-year-old Sunil Chhetri out of the probables’ list, but making it clear that he may fall back on the iconic captain for the AFC qualifiers if need be.

It’s now well-documented that Mohun Bagan Super Giant, the ISL champions, refused to cooperate for the national cause, as the CAFA event was not a part of the FIFA calendar and they didn’t want to risk injuries to their players ahead of key club engagements. Instead of making a fuss about it like some of his illustrious predecessors, Jamil went ahead with the players at his disposal.

And those players certainly punched above their weight, with their best effort being their first win against Oman – ranked 54 places higher than India – in 10 meetings over 25 years! (Not to forget that sitting in the other dugout, opposite Jamil, was decorated veteran Carlos Queiroz, erstwhile boss of numerous high-flying teams and a former deputy to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.)         

Commenting in his signed column, Prasanta Banerjee, a former India captain and ace midfielder of the 1980s said Jamil has been the best choice to take the game forward. “When he [Khalid Jamil] was named as coach, a lot of pundits felt that such a step would take Indian football two steps backward. [But] His biggest asset is he knows the strength and weaknesses of the players in and out and makes a realistic plan on the basis of that,’’ said Banerjee.

Henry Menezes, former goalkeeper and AIFF technical committee member, credited the team’s newfound self-confidence for the unexpected bronze. “India’s third-place finish at CAFA is indeed a testament to the team’s growing strength under coach Khalid’s leadership,” said the Mumbai-based Menezes, before adding: “The team’s newfound confidence and belief in we can win could be the key to the future. Looks like it’s exciting times ahead for Indian football.”