Indian Football: Making Heads Turn

Football has been very closely tied to the Indian subcontinent’s history for more than a century and has reflected the cultural and social life of India. The rivalry between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal is legendary as famous were the Mohammedan Sporting club and the Hyderabad City Police Team. Poetry and music were composed and performed to celebrate landmark victories. Loyalties to certain teams ran through generations amongst families and at times were deeper than religious identities.

The glorious and most undisputed era of India football was from the year 1956 to 1962, when Indians finished 4^th in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. They won the gold medal in the 1962 Asian Games, runners up in 1964 Asia Cup, winner of gold medals twice at Asian Games in 1951 and 1961.

That was the Golden Era of Indian football but since then it saw a steady decline. No one from the 1950’s could have ever envisioned the journey of football in India could go such downhill.

However, at the turn of the century things are looking brighter once again, thanks to players like Baichung Bhutia and Sunil Chetri, who have reignited the spark for football in the minds of the younger lot.

This was proven when India’s Under 20 team who played with 10 men for 40 minutes scored a 2-1 win over six times youth world cup winners Argentina,on the 6^th of August 2018, in the final group stage match of the Cotif Cup, a biennial invitational tournament held for International Youth teams. This win has certainly put the India Under20 team under Global Spotlight.

By: Madhuchanda Saxena

Content: https://www.hindustantimes.com/football/wins-against-iran-argentina-shows-indian-football-is-on-the-right-path/story-PlJ78bgHIr9qUOLXxzWpxI.html