Money is important but right planning and right implementers are even more crucial, India’s football captain Sunil Chhetri tells Amit Chaudhary in a candid chat. Excerpts
We just witnessed a successful football World Cup in Brazil. India is also going to organise the FIFA Under 17 World Cup in 2017. Will this help Indian football grow and howIJ
It’s going to help in all kind of ways. It’s one of the biggest events we can host. Kudos to our federation (AIFF) for bagging this event for India. It’s great that FIFA thought us to be capable hosts. We have three years to prepare. It’s a big opportunity for the team as well as the nation. When you host such an event, it’s not just about the team but also about a whole lot of other preparations like hotels, food and other things. Hopefully, we will set a great example.
As far as the team is concerned, every child in our nation should get adequate opportunity to be a part of football and eventually when we make the final team of 20, it should be the best one with a fair chance to all. Training should be of highest quality and that includes on-pitch training, recovery, food and nutrition. I hope we can provide that and prepare them as much as possible.
You are on the special committee for the U-17 World Cup. What is your advice to the panel membersIJ
It’s a committee and whatever the members decide will be the final decision. Whenever I am called to meet the panel, I will go and discuss the issues with them.
The Indian Soccer league (ISl) has just been launched. It’s expected to be a big tournament with huge money. What are your expectations from itIJ
I don’t know its dynamics as yet. But yes, it’s got a big name. When IMG-R (International Management Group-Reliance) is at the helm, it’s massive. A lot of interest is there and a lot of corporate houses are coming in but what is going to work depends on the dynamics.
Do you think money can change things for the betterIJ
Money needs to be invested in the right manner. The priority has to be planning. Money itself can’t bring everything. Of course, money is important but along with the money, we need right planning, the right people to implement it and a lot of things in between.
For someone who knows Indian football inside out, what changes you think are necessary to improve football in IndiaIJ
let’s not say change because AIFF is doing a great job with whatever limited resources it has. There’s lots to do but one thing I would like is to have a channel through which every child who wants to play football gets a fair chance. We have to have different levels. For example, if there’s a small academy in lakshadweep or Andaman or Arunachal or Jammu and Kashmir, it has to have incentives. If you do well at one level, you go to the next level and then to the next. The execution needs to go up all the way till the national level with every aspirant getting a chance. Eventually, when the selection for the national team happens, we know it will be from the best crop. Also, football will be a pan-India sport then. Everybody will be playing football with the hope that he has a fair chance to play in Indian colours.
What about our domestic football systemIJ Is it any good and can it achieve such a goalIJ
It’s improving. When we compare it with European standards, it’s not there yet. We can speed up the process and do a little better but we are in the right direction. The Bangalore FC, a club which was established only last year, did amazingly well, something other clubs can follow and, in turn, help football at large.
Do you feel a lack of support for football in cricket-crazy IndiaIJ
Not really. Football enjoys huge support in India. May be not particularly for Indian football but for the sport in general. The way we watch the Champions league, la liga and the English Premier league, it’s massive. All big clubs want to come to India and that shows how big a viewership we have in our country.
Talking about Bangalore FC, what made you accept the offer from a new clubIJ
I had just finished my league with Churchill Brothers where we became champions in 2011-12. When I got a call from Bangalore FC, I found that the way they wanted to take the club forward and the way they wanted to function was very professional. Even though they didn’t have the luxury of signing up fancy players, the way they wanted to work as a unit impressed me. Thank God I joined this club because the results have been amazing. It shows that if you work professionally, have team spirit and a great leader like Ashley Westwood, a lot of good things can happen.
What makes Westwood such a good coach, someone who guided a new team to a titleIJ
He is an amazing person with mindboggling knowledge that he acquired while working in England. He deals with even the minutest of issues like medicine, treatment, recovery, food, nutrition and all else. Every little thing in our club is monitored by him — from practice and recovery to the extra-curricular activity on Sundays. He is a true mentor, leader and friend. The kind of training we gave has improved all of us. His attributes are a new thing in our country.