Brazil game : Jury out on whether the friendlies will help Indian football

The momentum for the much-awaited India vs Brazil friendly on Saturday (3 October) in Kolkata may have begun to pick up, but there is a school of thought which feels that even a odd spirited performance by the Blue Tigers in the showpiece may not help country’s football in the long run. And with good reasons.

It was Baichung Bhutia, former India captain and one of their biggest stars in the new millennium, who urged the local football supporters to boycott the game for what he felt was a ‘misuse of money’ at a time when Indian football desperately needs investment at the grassroots and club levels. An unrealistic idea as the allure of seeing the likes of Vinicius jr, Raphinha or Marquinhos at one’s backyard will be irresistible for the fans anyway—but now doubts are creeping in as to whether the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) ambitious move can cover costs and prove to be a worthwhile investment.

There are unconfirmed reports that the response for the highly priced tickets, available online via the ticketing partners District by Zomato app, are yet to match the expectations so far—with just three days to go. The first lot of about 10,000 specially prized tickets at Rs 999 had been a sellout in no time after which the federation has announced an offer of discounts through the Big Three of Kolkata football and other clubs.

What also struck as odd was that Kanteerava Stadium of Bengaluru, which has a capacity of 23,000 and is known to throw up enthusiastic turnout for India’s matches, drew only a 9,000-plus audience for their 1-1 draw against Panama. With the interest levels for the Uruguay match in Kolkata on 6 October still uncertain, the AIFF is pulling all stops to make the match a commercial success with a publicity blitz.

Speaking to National Herald, Aloke Mukherjee—former India captain and one of their alltime best wing backs—felt such a humongous exercise is not going to help the sport in any way in the long run. ‘’If you ask me, it’s nothing more than a gimmick. Don’t read too much into India’s draw against Panama as these are in reality nothing more than exhibition matches. The club football season has just started in European countries and everyone will be cagey in going all out,’’ remarked Mukherjee, who formed the core group of a side which acquitted themselves creditably time and again against quality opposition in the now defunct Nehru Gold Cup.

Echoing similar sentiments was Jaydeep Basu, one of India’s leading football writers and author of Who stole my Football—a critique of the game’s administration in the country. Calling the matches a marketing gimmick, Basu said: ‘’It's not going to help Indian football in the short or long term. The unusual pressure it is putting on the AIFF's coffers was easily avoidable."

Having watched the innards of Indian football from close quarters for over four decades, Basu broke it down: ‘’The improvement of the national team and its performance starts from the bottom: grassroots, youth development, strong domestic structure, and the right planning for the national teams (all age groups). A one-off show like this won't help the cause." 

‘’A good show against the three teams in the friendlies may create a flutter, but that won't last long. In the early 1980s, India played against Uruguay, Argentina etc in the Nehru Cup and performed exceptionally well. Yet in the 1986 Asian Games, India played so poorly that it prompted the government to stop sending the team for next two Games. The roadmap to take things ahead was missing and It’s no different here,’’ he argued.

However, a prolific striker of Indian football in the 1970s and 80s who found the back of the net during Mohun Bagan’s 2-2 draw the 1977 exhibition match against Pele’s New York Cosmos, sees no room for undue negativity. Shyam Thapa, now 78, said: ‘’The Blue Tigers should try to build on their good show against Panama and give it their all when they take on Brazil. It will do a world of good to their confidence levels if they can come out with a good reputation against such an opponent.

‘’The job will not be easy but then, they have nothing to lose. A good performance in the three matches will surely rub off in their professional careers—both at the club level and international assignments,’’ he added.