Charming Esteem in the Domicile of Football

Tuesday, August 03, 2004

National League Champions Kingfisher East Bengal Club visited England to play in the four- team Pepsi Max Challenge at the Walkers Stadium with hosts Leicester City, Spanish side Real Mallorca and Maritimo who finished sixth in the Portuguese League. The India U-17 squad was also in Leicester for a ten-day coaching stint and a series of matches against English opposition.

The invitation to East Bengal to take part in the tournament involving teams from across Europe was the first to be extended to an Indian club side. Undaunted by the occasion East Bengal were unlucky to lose their opening game 1-0 to Leicester City. The match hinged on two controversial decisions which both went the way of the home side: no award for a trip on Baichung, a highly debatable decision given to City from which Benjamin scored the only goal of the game. Had the decisions been reversed we might have been looking at the most astonishing result in the long history of Indian football.

In their second match the tigers of East Bengal faced opponents whose passing, movement and finishing were of the highest order. A tired Indian side, with a smaller squad and less strength in depth than their illustrious opponents, battled courageously and strung together a number of fine passing moves that could have seen them score on a number of occasions. However, it was not to be.

After having been received at the House of Commons by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, the East Bengal squad may have felt a burden of expectation resting on their shoulders, however they did not disappoint and return to India with their pride intact and valuable experience gained as they resume their quest for AFC Cup glory.

The clubs visit, arranged by FMM International following the tri-partite partnership they established between Leicester City, East Bengal and the AIFF, coincided with a ten day coaching trip for the India U-17 squad. The youngsters received intensive coaching from Jon Rudkin, Director of Leicester City’s Youth Academy, and played four matches against English opponents.

A warm-up game against an Anglo-Indian XI saw the visitors chalk up a 5-3 win, however the Leicester City Academy team proved too strong, running out 5-2 winners. A narrow 2-1 defeat at Stoke City saw an improved performance and the Indian boys can count themselves unlucky not to have gained at least a draw. The improvement continued in the fourth and final game – a tough test away to the Academy team of Premier League side Birmingham City who included two players who had each cost the club in excess of eight million (8,000,000) Rupees. A fine goal from Romeo broke the City hearts and gave the visitors a deserved 1-0 win: a truly remarkable achievement.

Perhaps just as remarkable was that one of the India boys, striker Mawya, made a guest appearance for Leicester City Academy in a match away to Premiership giants Liverpool. Although he failed to get on the score sheet during his 25 minutes on the park he turned in a splendid performance that fully justified the faith of coach Rudkin.

For those who doubt the potential of Indian football these performances from the two Indian sides should cause them to think again. The East Bengal stars faced opponents some of whom will earn more in a week than they will earn in their entire career, and yet they stood shoulder-to-shoulder, toe-to-toe, and earned the respect of their elite European counterparts. Similarly, the U- 17’s faced players some of whom had already been bought for sums that are beyond their imagination, and yet they came out victorious; they won, they were the better team.

When FMMI Chief Executive Nigel Empson first came to India just over one year ago he spoke of the potential of India as a football nation. The world’s greatest game was waiting for India, a country with around one sixth of the world’s population, to awake and join the football family. Empson spoke of the certainty that somewhere in India there was a Beckham, or a Zidane or a Ronaldo waiting to be discovered; to be given a chance to realise his potential and lead India to World Cup glory before a worldwide television audience of billions.

Since then Empson’s FMM International have established partnerships for Kingfisher East Bengal and the All India Football Federation with English side Leicester City. Under these historic Agreements City have provided coaching support and expertise to their Indian counterparts, and have both sent senior staff to India and hosted their Indian partners in England. FMMI have also been involved, with partners Nicco Internet Ventures, in the launch of the Kingfisher East Bengal website that attracted almost half a million hits in its first three days.

The recent visits of the Indian sides has attracted substantial interest in the UK media and, as the visit to the House of Commons evidences, the Indian footballers have won respect in the home of football. Minister of Defence Geoff Hoon watched the Leicester City v East Bengal match and a succession of senior Ministers and other political and business leaders have expressed their support for FMMI’s Leicester City initiatives.

In India however it appears a different story and it seems the greater challenge is for the nation’s footballers to win an equal level of respect in their homeland. The game still struggles for government support, as yet there is no coordinated strategy to support the development of football in India, and big business stands distant, largely disinterested. Without the support of both India will struggle to achieve its full potential.

If inspiration is needed it should come in the colours of red and gold that graced a field in distant England, and saw battle and gained respect against some of Europe’s finest; it should come in the form of a squad of players whose pride at pulling on the shirt of India lifted them to defeat the rising stars of Premier League opponents; and it should come in the form of a young footballer who emerged from the mass of the poor in India to pull on the same blue Leicester City shirt as worn by England legend Gary Lineker and line up against mighty Liverpool.

Compiled by: Rajarshi Ghosh