Football is undoubtedly the most popular game in the world, and it's also a poor man's game as it doesn't require much equipment. Football is played across countries and continents at an early age. In our country, cricket is the most popular game and is treated as a religion. There's a lot of craze, fame, and money associated with cricket. But football as a game has not taken off in the country. The worrying thing is that our FIFA rankings are quite poor. No doubt we should give cricket all the attention it deserves, but football too deserves its due.
It's painful to note that recently, the Indian men's football team has dropped six positions to 142nd in the latest FIFA rankings issued just sometime back. The Indian team also recently lost 0-1 to Bangladesh in the Asia Cup for the first time since 2003 in Dhaka some days back. These losses have resulted in a downgrade in the ranking, as the team has lost 40 places since December 2023, when it was ranked at 102nd.
Facts are grim. The Indian team is currently not among the top 25 AFC countries in the FIFA Rankings. Among the 46 Asian countries included in the FIFA rankings, the Indian team holds the 27th position. Many lesser-populated nations, which have less population than a city of India, have high rankings in football.
We need to gear up and set the house in order in football management and ensure Team India, in coming times, climbs to higher rankings in football. We should, as a country, love cricket, but both the government and people should ensure that we achieve our due in football and pay attention to the promotion of football in India. It's high time we invest in grassroots development, infrastructure, and professional coaching to revive Indian football.
Our schools should also do everything they can to make sure that kids don't just play football but get the desired coaching and skills to play the football. If this happens we can get future stars of football from our schools and our base in the game would be covered.
Lastly , the expert analysis is India's football struggles stem from inadequate infrastructure, lack of grassroots development, and insufficient funding. Limited access to quality coaching, training facilities, and leagues hinders talent growth. Cricket's dominance also overshadows football, diverting resources and attention. To improve, India needs sustained investment, professional structures, and a focus on youth development.
We hope for day when India rules in world football.
