For the past one week, the Mohun Bagan supporters are rejoicing over their 5-3 victory over East Bengal in the I-League. Though there is nothing wrong in celebrating a win over the arch rivals, I would like to say a few things, which, I sincerely hope, would not hurt the green and maroon fans.

To put it bluntly, a Mohun Bagan-East Bengal match does not carry much importance in the context of Indian football these days. In 1975, when East Bengal beat Mohun Bagan 5-0, it was viewed as the battle for supremacy between the two top teams to in the country.

Today, the scenario is totally different. Neither Mohun Bagan nor East Bengal are regarded the top teams and have almost been reduced to also playing lots. If my memory serves me correctly, then both the Calcutta teams have frequently suffered humiliating defeats against teams from Goa, Mumbai and Punjab in the past few years. Such things were unthinkable in 1975.

My advice to both the victors and the vanquished is same. Let’s come out of the groove and try to make an impact when you play the away matches. Otherwise, all those eight goals which were scored at the Salt Lake Stadium the other day, would be of no use at the end of the season.

Back to the national scene, the decision to send an under-23 team under Sukhwinder Singh for the SAFF Cup in Dhaka and the AFC Challenge Cup, I have been told, was taken by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on the insistence of Bob Houghton. It is a wise decision as it will help us to prepare the team for the Asian Games at the end of next year.

I have always viewed the SAFF tournament as the toughest one to play. Regarded the “big brother” in the region, India always face strong challenges in the SAFF Cup.

Houghton, I understand, learned it the hard way in the last SAFF tourney. Later, we were told that unfavourable scheduling and poor weather were the main reasons behind India’s defeat.

But then, these fortnight long tournaments always have such drawbacks. The same could be said about the recent Nehru Cup. All other teams except India were made to play on alternate days under extreme hot and humid conditions. These are the demands of international football and one has to accept it.

It is sad that the AIFF never considered these points when they booted out some of the Indian coaches previously. The treatment that was meted out to Sukhwinder Singh in his previous term as the national coach was shameful. The team did badly in two tours which were primarily meant to build the side for the Asian Games. A report submitted by a non-technical man was accepted by the AIFF as the gospel of truth to oust Sukhwinder.

Nevertheless, I am happy that Houghton has managed to put an end to such practices in the AIFF. The British coach, some people say, is almost running the AIFF by proxy and is behind all major decisions. Recently, a newspaper report suggested that a British national, known to be close to Houghton, is likely to be appointed the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the I-League.

Frankly, I am not too sure how much truth these reports have in them. But Houghton should not get into too many things. It will only hamper his actual job. I was little surprised when an AIFF member told me Houghton made a suggestion to scrape all local leagues in places like Calcutta and Goa to make the I-League stronger.

Like in all other nations, in India also, football is linked with the prevailing socio-economic conditions. Here, the dividing line between professional and amateur football is too thin and one needs deep rooted understanding and experience to know the problems. In my humble opinion, things here are too complicated to understand in three years. What Indian football team needs is a good coach, not a messiah.