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| Bob Houghton at a press conference in Hyderabad on Tuesday. (AFP) |
On Wednesday, when India begin their campaign in the AFC Challenge Cup with the match against Afghanistan in Hyderabad, I will defy my doctors’ advice to sit in front of the television set at home. My family physician feels I shouldn’t watch the national team’s matches as I tend to get excited and it is not good for my fragile health. But frankly, I won’t be able to resist the temptation. After all, I had been closely associated with the Indian football team for many years, both as a player and a coach.
Let me make one thing very clear. I shall be hugely disappointed if India do not win the title in Hyderabad. Except for North Korea, all other teams are listed below India in the Fifa rankings. Since India are hosting the tournament, Bob Houghton’s men should do the least by beating the Koreans at Gachibowli.
I have been keenly following the fortunes of the Indian team from the time Houghton has taken over. Though some of his recent comments on Calcutta football has left me deeply hurt, I never questioned his abilities as a coach. But then, Houghton should remember that the Challenge Cup would be the real challenge for him to turn around when things are not exactly moving in the right direction.
In India, coaches had been shown the door in the recent past on far more minor issues than losing to Maldives in the SAFF Cup final. Sukhwinder Singh, whom I consider one of the best in the business, found himself out of favour after losing matches on two ‘friendly’ tours to Pakistan and Fiji.
Syed Nayeemuddin won the SAFF Cup under adverse conditions in Karachi, yet received the marching orders after two defeats against Japan and Yemen. Unfortunately, both the coaches were the victims of a smear campaign that was launched by a section of the officials in the All India Football Federation (AIFF). More than anything, Houghton should remain careful about these people. They would do little to help him achieve his goal, but won’t take a minute to malign him to save their own backs.
Coming back to the Challenge Cup, I wasn’t entirely happy with Houghton’s team selection. Though I fully agree that the national team is not a place to do experiment, I would have liked to see a few more juniors donning the national colours this season.
Nevertheless, the Indian football fans would not settle for anything less than watching Bhaichung Bhutia holding the trophy aloft at the Gachibowli on August 10. For the past couple of months, the Indian team has received good training facilities and exposure. Time our boys beat at least one team who are ahead of them in the Fifa rankings.
Last but not the least, I was taken aback by Houghton’s tirade against Calcutta football the other day. I have a feeling that the British coach is being regularly fed with wrong information by some so-called responsible people, whose sole intention has been to show the Calcutta football in poor light.
I am sorry to say that this new trend of divide and rule would not take Indian football anywhere.
INDIA’S SUCCESSES IN INTERNATIONAL MEETS
•1951 — Asian Games in New Delhi (India-1 Iran-0)
• 1952 — Quadrangular Meet in Colombo (India-0 Pakistan-0) [India won by virtue of better goal average in the round robin league]
• 1953 — Quadrangular Meet in Rangoon (India-1 Pakistan-0)
• 1954 — Quadrangular Meet in Calcutta (India-3 Pakistan-1)
• 1955 — Quadrangular Meet in Dhaka (India-2 Pakistan-1)
• 1962 — Asian Games in Jakarta (India-2 South Korea-1)
• 1971 — Pesta Sukan Cup in Singapore (India-0 South Vietnam-0) [Joint Winner]
• 1985 — SAFF Games in Dhaka (India-5 [Tie-breaker] Bangladesh-2)
• 1987 — SAFF Games in Calcutta (India-1 Nepal-0)
• 1993 — SAF Cup in Lahore (India-1 Pakistan-1) [India won by better goal average in Round Robin League]
• 1995 — SAFF Games in Chennai (India-1 Bangladesh-0)
• 1997 — SAF Cup in Kathmandu (India-5 Maldives-1)
• 1998 — Independence Cup in Colombo (India-3 Sri Lanka-2)
• 1999 — SAF Cup in Margao (India-2 Bangladesh-0)
• 2002 — LG Cup in Ho Chi Minh City (India-3 Vietnam-2)
• 2005 — SAF Cup in Karachi (India-2 Bangladesh-0)
• 2007 — Nehru Cup in New Delhi (India-1 Syria-0)
