A day after the Nehru Cup triumph, Sportline catches up with footballers in the region to know their views about the win
Chandigarh: When N P Pradeep’s lethal strike got past the Syrian goalkeeper in the ONGC Nehru CUP final, it was a goal that ended India’s five year long title drought on the international circuit after the LG Cup triumph at Vietnam in 2002. As a resurgent Indian team showed some tremendous performance over the past two weeks, it seems that golden days lie ahead for the game in a cricket frenzy nation. For Coach Bob Houghton though it will be a tough road ahead as India prepares for the pre World Cup qualifiers. A day after the illustrious win, Sportline caught up with some of the players and coaches in the region to know about the impact that the win will have on Indian football and what lies ahead for the Indian team.
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Sukhwinder Singh, JCT Coach and former Indian coach believes that this win could provide the necessary impetus required for the upliftment of the game in the country. “This win could prove to be one of the biggest morale booster for the football players in the country. It is with the national team that most of the football players in the country relate to and the national team’s performance in the recent months has been commendable,” said the former India coach, who guided India to win in the SAFF Cup in 1999. Adding further he said India need to play more international tournaments to move up the ladder in the FIFA rankings. Harjinder Singh, former Indian player and a member of the Indian team that won the Asian Youth Soccer Championship in 1974, the last time India was crowned as Champions of Asia in either junior or senior level, feels that India should carry on from this win and should concentrate on playing more and more tournaments. “The win in this event is good for Indian football but it is yet to be seen how the current Indian team continues good run at the International level. The win will certainly invoke more and more players to take up football and I hope that Indian team will do well in future events also,” said the former Indian mid fielder who represented India in the 1978 and 1982 Asian Games.
Another former Indian player Tajinder Kumar is of the viewpoint that India should play more and more international tournaments to gain exposure and improve their performance. “This win has come at a right time for the Indian team. This will do good to make the game more popular in the country. India will certainly move up in the FIFA rankings by this win and few more victories like these can propel Indian football on the right path,” said Singh.
Although, the win comes at a right time for Indian football, it still remains to be seen that whether this win would revive football in India, which was once considered to be an Asian Powerhouse, winning the Gold medal in 1951 and 1962 Asian Games.
Source: Express News Service