New era for Indian football

India was the lowest-ranked side in the FIFA U-17 World Cup even that they qualified as hosts of

the tournament and as coincidence that after the end of all group games, India finished bottom, 24th, among all teams that qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. But the courageous attitude of the Indian players was contagious. Our colts wore their hearts on the sleeves against world renowned soccer nations and played with a mindset that few Indian football teams have. Despite the losses in all the three matches and conceded nine goals but the one they scored during the match against Colombia had created a moment of euphoria. 16-year-old Jeakson Singh’s header gave the first ever goal for the country in a football WC and put his footprint in the history of FIFA. I wonder what could have happened if our boys had an early access to proper diet and grooming like their foreign counterparts. Due to our colt’s inferior physique, opponents run over us. Immediately after finishing the national duty, Rahim Ali (like most others) one of our U-17 World Cup footballers had to wade through knee-deep slush, shoe in hand to reach his house a — 10ft by 10ft room (his father Mohammed Rafiq, a private car driver had to mortgage his house and land to fund his son's playing expenses). How do one expect our colts to fight for the country and bring glory without proper nourishment, shelter and life? Ghana coach Samuel Fabin said ,“In terms of infrastructure, India is way ahead than Ghana,” which echoed from FIFA to other participants, but the big question is do India merely play the good host or reckon also be competitive.

— Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee