Once upon a time, a village wanted to trap a man-eating tiger. The chieftain was well aware of the best men for the job, but every household that he approached refused him. They were more interested in celebrating an upcoming festival, rather than tackling unfinished business that needed all their attention. After the chieftain pleaded, a few men with raw skills were pushed forward to take on the might of the savage predator. They put up a brave fight, but their inexperience eventually caught up with them. The man-eater had a field day, the hunter became the hunted.
The moral of the story: sacrifices make little sense when there’s a lack of preparation.
Indian football has a similar storyline these days. Once the national team was cleared to play the Asian Games in Hangzhou, head coach Igor Stimac looked to have a go with the best squad at his disposal. As per rules, that’s a team of under-23 players, with three senior players over that age permitted.
But with the Indian Super League (ISL) kicking off on September 21, most names on the list were scrapped. Clubs simply refused to release their players, claiming they were critical to their first few games. The club versus country debate was back, yet theirs was the final word. Nobody stepped in to back Stimac, neither the All India Football Federation, nor Football Sports Development League, who run the ISL.
As for the senior players, Sunil Chhetri made himself available, while Sandesh Jhingan was a last-minute addition only after his team’s opening ISL fixture was pushed to a later date.
The prevailing uncertainty was not just around the players, but also the coach. It took a while for Stimac to agree to go to the Asian Games with a hastily assembled team that had never trained together. Frantic last-minute arrangements for visas and tickets followed. The incomplete squad that eventually flew out had a long layover in Singapore and arrived in Hangzhou just a day before their opening fixture against hosts China.
Though rusty and disorganized, India were still in it at half-time, the scores level at 1-1. Goalkeeper Gurmeet Singh pulled off an incredible penalty save; Rahul KP scored the equalizer from an angle that would have surveyors in knots. The defence was gradually finding its feet, the attackers were soon stringing together a few good moves.
But as fatigue caught up, the ill-prepared players dropped around the pitch with cramps and strains. The substitute bench had two reserve goalkeepers and just four outfield players, all debutants for the senior national side.
Stimac sat in the dugout helpless. The man-eater had a sumptuous feast, the final score 5-1 in China’s favour. ***
As the national team geared up for their next fixture against Bangladesh on September 21, the 10th season of ISL also began with Bengaluru FC taking on Kerala Blasters FC in Kochi. It’s a contrast to how the league unfolded in 2013. That tournament lasted a little over two months, where marquee international signings doubled up as pensioners, rubbing shoulders with Indian players who were burning out with the hectic schedule.
The evolution of the ISL has been good in many ways. For starters, it lasts as long as a league should these days, giving players enough time to rest and recover. International players don’t come with a reputation like their predecessors, but are certainly more enterprising and entertaining on the pitch. And coaches have decided to stick around with ISL clubs, though it’s an entertaining merry-go-round at times.
What’s really heartening this season is the promotion of last year’s I-League champions, Punjab FC, the 12th team in the ISL. They are likely to find the going rough in the big boys’ league, but this development is unarguably the highlight of the season this year. And hopefully, relegation follows soon.
As in any league, there are the big guns. Last year’s league winners, Mumbai City FC start favourites, having retained a majority of their key players that include Lallianzuala Chhangte, Bipin Singh, Greg Stewart and Jorge Pereyra Diaz. On their heels will be this year’s Durand Cup winners, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, who’ve signed Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad and Anwar Ali - three of the most promising Indian faces on the scene.
Then, the surprise packages. FC Goa have revamped their squad and have thrown in a new manager in Manolo Marquez. At his former club, Hyderabad FC, the Spaniard got his boys to play some of the most entertaining football over the three seasons he spent with them.
But if one had to pick out the serious dark horses, it would be East Bengal FC. After three forgettable seasons, they’ve gone on a buying spree starting with former Bengaluru FC coach, Carles Cuadrat, and now boast a healthy mix of the young and the old as part of the squad.
And finally, the perennial favourites, Bengaluru FC, who’ve made the playoffs on four occasions in their six seasons since joining the ISL in 2017. Last year, too, they won the Durand Cup before losing two close finals. Nobody associated with the club wants to say it, but at 39 years, this could well be Chhetri’s swan song. And they’ll do everything to make it memorable for the Indian legend. ***
However, Chhetri turned out for a different side on Thursday, donning India colours in the second group fixture of the Asian Games against Bangladesh - ranked 189 in the world and 90 places below India (No. 99) according to Fifa rankings. India won by one goal.
The final group fixture on September 24 is against Myanmar, who are ranked 160th in the world. The match looks straightforward, at least on paper, and winning it will certainly help Stimac’s boys qualify for the next stage.
The last time India played at the Asian Games in 2014, then coach Wim Koevermans had a full squad to choose from. That team didn’t make it out of the group stage after losing both their games. Chhetri was there, as was Jhingan and the duo will be looking to make amends this time around. And though things continue to be far from ideal, the show that this young side put on against China indicates there’s a lot more in store in the coming days.
It’s enraging and embarrassing in equal measure when you sum up the Asian Games for the Indian men’s national team so far. Ineligible at first based on their rankings and the guidelines of the Sports Ministry, then cleared to compete as a special case, only to realize that they couldn’t find adequate players to compete. No ISL reserves or I-League players called up either. Yet, the team showed up at the grand ball in Hangzhou, disheveled but determined to make the limelight their own against all odds.
It gets one wondering again on who exactly runs football in the country. All said and done, we’ll get around to forgetting this fiasco in a few days, until the next big competition arrives. For the next few days, though, there should be just one team that Indian football fans make some noise for.
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