India are set to face Brazil for the first time. This sentence alone is enough to fill the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. It is also enough to make question marks around the fixture sound ungrateful.
But it still has to be asked.
What does Indian football actually get out of it?
If you look at the game itself, the decision to schedule it sounds like the perfect example of self-harm. The Indian football team has been in a downward spiral since Stephen Constantine’s departure in 2019. A team which has struggled to perform against the likes of Afghanistan and Bangladesh is walking out to face a five-time world champion.
‘So, it’s not a contest’
Shaji Prabhakaran, former All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary, does not sugarcoat it.
“It is like a five-year-old or seven-year-old can say how we are going to do against , he says.
“So it’s not a contest.”
India were also supposed to face Cape Verde in the same international window, but it didn’t materialise. The AFCON side made their World Cup debut this year, and shocked everyone with a goalless draw against eventual champions Spain in their opener.
When asked to compare India to Cape Verde’s football development, Prabhakaran rejects it flatly.
“Absolutely not… That’s a different level.”
Sport usually survives on uncertainty. If you remove that, then what is left is exhibition. Also, an exhibition is worth exactly what it costs.
The AIFF has failed to reveal what it costs to host Brazil in India, despite multiple media reports and Sports Now sources claiming that it is going to exceed Rs 50 crores. The AIFF has also dismissed such claims.
“Whether it is going to be 20 crore or 50 crore or 60, 70, which I don’t know,” Prabhakaran says.
“The federation will be able to tell us how much money they are going to invest in this game.”
He also points out that whoever is deciding to spend money on inviting Brazil is using Indian football’s funds.
“Whoever is going to put that money, it is the Indian football money,” he says.
“But that money is basically going into those 90 minutes. We need to have that big analysis.”
There are also reports that the West Bengal government is helping AIFF to organise the game and also providing funds. The stakeholders have stated that it’s for the development of Indian football. But why can’t the state government or AIFF use that money to improve our domestic leagues? A recent viral photo of a Calcutta Football League third division match shows players playing on a surface that would even embarrass a school.
“We have to invest in creating the right, safe playing environment from the bottom of the pyramid. That’s fundamental,” Prabhakaran states.
Source of a morale boost?
In an official statement, the AIFF has maintained that the match will be a source of a morale boost for the Indian team and also for the fans. It is an assertion, not a plan.
When asked if the fixture will actually inspire a generation of players and fans, Prabhakaran says, “I’m not saying it will.”
“I don’t know what impact it will have. Apart from those 90 minutes. People having fun, people loving to see Brazil.
“It cannot be only saying, okay, this will have an impact. That is very generalised. It has to be very specific.”
India has conducted this experiment before. The likes of Ronaldinho, Luis Figo and a host of other big names have visited the country in the last two decades. But it hasn’t changed our football ecosystem. It hasn’t inspired any player, nor has it taught coaches anything.
The commercial market in Indian football is at an all-time low. The IWL and IWL 2 could also take place without a commercial partner, as AIFF and Capri Sports haven’t yet reached an agreement.
“The sponsorship market, the media rights market for football in India is very challenging,” Prabhakaran says.
“We don’t have local stars. Our football is not attractive. We are not winning games, national team.”
He reduces his explanation to two variables.
“In the end it’s only about two aspects. One is the performance of the team. And do you have a star attraction?”
But a one-off friendly against Brazil won’t make a difference realistically. Brazil’s own pull in India has also thinned down.
Prabhakiran is not an opponent to the fixture though. He is buying a ticket too.
“I’ve seen Brazil many times in their best days as well. But they are going to play India for the first time. I want to be part of that history-making day.”
He is objecting to how it was decided to face Brazil, and India withdrew from the FIFA ASEAN Cup. The tournament was clashing with the friendly. Now, India is also scheduled to face Panama and Uruguay in the same window.
“These are the things to be announced on the very first day itself,” he says.
“This is the key objective, key goal, and this is how this will benefit. That sets the credibility of everything you are doing.”
But then, as proven in the upcoming friendlies, the AIFF are not going to announce their plans as they don’t really have one. The decision to face Brazil proves that, and it is also beneficial for President Kalyan Chaubey as the elections are upcoming.
India vs Brazil is not an investment in Indian football. It is a very expensive evening out, paid for from a fund that has nothing to spare for the development of the sport in the country, and the burden of proving otherwise sits entirely with AIFF.