Why Indian football needs its fans now more than ever

India in action against Bangladesh during the inconsequential AFC Asian Cup qualifiers (AIFF Photo)

Indian football is really a sad story at the moment. With the team losing to Bangladesh on Tuesday, it has been one of the worst years for men’s football. We still don’t have clarity on the future of the ISL, one expects things to move in the Supreme Court on Thursday and a direction emerge. It is essential for the players and for the eco-system and for the sport to stay relevant going forward.

Each one of us have been critical of the players and the coach for losing to Bangladesh. And to an extent we are right. How can we play so bad? How is it that there is no improvement? Why can’t we play better and how is it that we don’t have 15 footballers who can stand up and make a difference?

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This is all the more relevant when we see countries with populations less than my locality in Kolkata make the FIFA World Cup. It pains us all and rightfully so. But then there is another side to the story. Think from the perspective of the players. You are not even playing competitive football for weeks now.

There is nothing to look forward to. All you will play is one friendly here and there and then it is back to the dark room again. You aren’t aware what the future holds and are staring in darkness. That’s the reality of Indian football at the moment and in such a scenario are the players at fault if they don’t produce a good performance?

The question to ask is do the players have the motivation left? How is their mental health and are we really bothered? Is it even fair to ask them to do well in the present scenario and do we need to be a little more sensitive?

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This is the worst I have seen of Indian football in years. While there are efforts on to get things back on track, to imagine that we have come here is disappointing. And yet never did we need the fans more. Each one of us who believe and love the sport need to stay with it. Take a look at our women’s teams. Three of them have qualified for the Asian Cup and it is essential that the Federation does everything possible for them to train and be the best prepared. We need to back them and only then can things happen.

That’s what prompted us at Revsportz to organise the Empowerment Cup for Women starting November 22. It is an open football tournament and teams from 7 states are coming to Kolkata to play. As we launch the tournament with a press conference on Thursday, I have to say it is a huge part of our legacy. It is our way to back the sport despite all the negativity around. And that’s how it should be.

While it is all fair to be disillusioned and castigate the players, it is also true that no one else is hurting more than them. And in the current scenario they need the backing. All that could go wrong has gone wrong with the sport. Things can only get better from here on and each one of us need to play a part.