Football Comes Home

It was in the year 1982 that Indian football woke up to stark reality. With the World Cup semifinals and final beamed live from Spain for the first time ever, aficionados with open-mouthed wonder realised how obsolete Indian football had become. For them, the opportunity to watch world class action on TV was just like taking a break from their mundane daily routine to venture into the cool climes of a hill station.

But much before the World Cup telecast happened and EPL had made inroads into Indian drawing rooms, the inaugural Nehru Cup in 1982 at Kolkata had already 'exposed' the standard of Indian football. The event, meanwhile, was so popular that across Kolkata (then Calcutta), the Nehru Cup became the subject of all conversation.

But it was not surprising then. The Kolkata league and other domestic events were becoming too tacky to follow, and the Nehru Cup was a refreshing offering. Without doubt, witnessing the Nehru Cup became much more exciting than watching homegrown 'stars' in action.

Nobody had imagined that the Nehru Cup would be a runaway hit in its very first year. The pace, the style and the approach of the visiting teams clearly differentiated it from Indian football. Though the loyalty for Mohun Bagan or East Bengal was still there, Kolkatans switched their allegiance when it came to Nehru Cup.

After all, who wouldn't have been mesmerised by sorcerrs like Enzo Francescoli Uruguay), Laszlo Kiss (Hungary), Jorge Burruchaga (Argentina), Nery Pumpido Argentina), Euzebiusz Smolarek (Poland), Rinat Dasayev and Alexei Mikhailichenko both Russian)?

And, yes, who can forget the eccentric genius, the Argentine coach Carlos Bilardo, who was best remembered for his expulsion from the bench by the referee following a heated argument?

Probably, that was the only time when the All India Football Federation (AIFF) brought quality international teams for the Nehru Cup. As the years wore on, particularly in the early 90s, the federation lost both passion and motivation to continue with its only international tournament.

Cut to the present, and the revival of the ONGC Nehru Cup could have happened much earlier. Lack of international outings, both at home and away, and a serious lack of initiative from the federation had sounded the death knell of an Indian team which always relied on 'promise'. No wonder then, the success-starved national squad slipped down the FIFA rankings.

But thanks to chief coach Bob Houghton (the Englishman made AIFF bosses realise the importance of international events) that ONGC Nehru Cup is finally taking off once again, after a decade's hiatus. But then, this year's event, which will see five Asian nations in action, could also have included a top Asian team or one from Latin America or Europe. With the contesting nations ranked well outside the top 100, the event definitely won't rank among the best of the 12 editions held so far.

However, it's not known if the federation was keen on continuing with the Cup anyways. Earlier, it was an annual affair till 1989. Then, it became a biennial event. And after 1997, when India finished third, the Nehru Cup went off the radar completely.

In the past, the AIFF had cited paucity of funds and other reasons to ignore the Cup's revival. But now that the corporates have evinced interest in football, the federation will do well to enter into a longterm agreement to keep the event afloat. Else, it will once again be packed off like it was 10 years ago.

(In New Delhi, 2007)