

#Fifa ranking professional
The signings of players like Tim Cahill, Asamoh Gyan and Francis Medina Luna added to the elite list of professional footballers to challenge themselves in India before retiring from the international stage. Most of these foreign players were at the end of their careers and stayed here for relatively brief spells, but their presence set the base for Indian football. But the critics of Indian football said that the national team is not going to get any benefit from the presence of superstars of yesteryears in the league. The initial phase of the Indian Super League (ISL) saw big names of world football playing in it, including Robert Pires, Alessandro Del Piero, Roberto Carlos, David Trezeguet and Diego Forlan. How ISL and I-League are helping Indian football There is hardly any such league football in big states like Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Their expertise can be used as scouts in youth tournaments."Īt present, only a few states like West Bengal, Goa, Kerala, northeastern states and Delhi have their own leagues in different categories. Former footballers in every state, maybe those who have played for more than a decade, would be roped in. “A uniform youth league will be introduced to get the best out of it. If we can restart the U-21 national championship, it will benefit the India U-21 team. We also have plans to introduce more tournaments. Our aim would be to ensure that the state associations benefit from the infrastructural support of the Central government as well as the state governments.

On completion of 100 days in office, Chaubey told a group of journalists, “We will work to the best of our abilities to make it (roadmap) a success. After becoming the president, Chaubey during his first press conference gave an outline for the development of the sport in India. With Kalyan Chaubey taking charge as the president of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), there is a lot of talk about the roadmap for Indian football. Since 1970, the Indian team has seen a steady decline in performance.

The Indian men’s football team perhaps enjoyed their golden years from late 1940s to late 1960s - during which they participated in four Olympics and won the gold twice in Asian Games. Our players neither have that kind of skill, nor the fitness to compete in the spot’s mega event. Even those who are critical of the plight of Indian football agree that the level of the game in the country is way behind world standards. Indian football officials probably do not allow this truth to come out. Maybe Indian football can benefit if the truth that is hidden behind this brazen answer is brought out. When there is so much enthusiasm for the sport in India, the big question is - why can’t a country that has started producing Olympic champions qualify for the football World Cup?Įvery time a World Cup takes place after four years, Indian fans have precisely one question - when will India play in the game’s showpiece event?Īnd the answer is always the same - given the standard of the game back home, India will never play in the World Cup. Like elsewhere, football fever has gripped India too with a majority rooting for all-time favourites Brazil, while the remaining seem to be divided between holders France and Lionel Messi-led Argentina. Ahead of the start of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the 32 best footballing nations are engaged in their final preparations, while their countrymen are praying for their teams to lift the prestigious trophy.
