Come October 2017 and the country will witness the historic football event that could set the tone for football development and other global football events in years to come. The FIFA U-17 World Cup is definitely the biggest football event that India has ever hosted and the country is warming up to that.
Recently, the trophy displayed at the India gate in New Delhi had around 2.5 lakh people coming to witness the ceremony. Another key indicator of the interest in the event is the sale of tickets and as expected, different cities have responded differently. While in Kolkata the tickets have a big demand, Delhi in spite of hosting the India matches played in the Capital is probably waiting for the VIP invites.
But what is surprising is the response of our Goan football enthusiasts. The demand has been slow but I am given to believe that it will pick up towards the matches. Also, a lot of Goans prefer to buy tickets over the counter as I have experienced the same when we used to manage the FC Goa matches. More than 60% of the ticket sale was done at the box offices. With teams like Germany, Croatia and one match of Brazil taking place in Goa, I hope the fans especially the young ones fill up the stands and create the festive atmosphere that Goa is known for.
At Sesa Football Academy, we have ensured that our players get to watch some of the matches and learn a lot from these games.
What is more important for a purist like me is not only the event that takes place over a few weeks but the legacy that the FIFA event would leave behind. And there are a few areas where the legacy discussion would be relevant.
Let’s begin with the players and the team itself. What happens to the team once the party is over.
It’s fascinating to imagine that this group of players probably would be the core of the senior team that shall play the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers beginning 2023. The 2026 world cup that shall have 48 teams and 8 out of them from Asia, is a big opportunity for India.
The AIFF is looking at reviving the Indian Arrows project which was built on the premise of keeping the core group of the youth players together and make them compete in the national league. Can we keep the current U-17 team together rather than the player moving on to the clubs all over the country and quite honestly, not all the clubs are equipped with capabilities to handle the delicate domain of youth development.
One major expectation from such events is infrastructure development. The existing infrastructure was polished up and the youth event did not have the requirement of creating new stadiums.
Alongside the practice pitches required in every city were developed, which for me are as important as the match pitches. Hope that these pitches are put to better use even post the world cup. The refurbished stadiums need more events and I am sure with the parallel calendar of the ISL and the League 1, the stadiums would get the necessary events for longer periods.
One area where things did not go as per the plan is ‘Coaching’. The replacement of Nicolai Adam by Luis Norton de Matos happened during the last leg of the preparations and this could have a huge impact on the team performance itself. But I guess, unpredictability and adapting to changes is a part of football and I hope the team shows enough character to manage such a critical change at the eleventh hour.
I have been vocal about the need to groom and build more Indian coaches and events like these provide a great opportunity for the Indian coaches to learn. I fail to spot the successors in the youth teams as of now but knowing that the ex-Asst. Coach of the U-17 team who happens to be a Goan is assisting the Head Coach of the Malaysian National team, gives me enough motivation.
The young generation of the coaches who are a lot more qualified and enterprising will soon step up. After all, we finally have an Indian and a Goan who is the technical director of the federation and understands exactly the pathway of the Indian coaches.
The U-17 World Cup LOC has put in place the Mission XI Million Grassroots programme that plans to touch 11 million beneficiaries. The result of this programme cannot be gauged over a short term. The idea is right and execution is the key. More so the follow up that is required post the World Cup would be an important part of the legacy plan.
Overall, I believe that we have done well to bring the event and its preparation to this level. By end of October 2017, we shall be in a better situation to assess the success of this global event that might be once in a life time experience for many. Every Indian needs to get behind the team and also do everything possible to make this tournament a huge success. Being an optimist, I see the glass half full, well in this case the Cup and that too, the Cup of Joy.
