Indian League

India is an interesting country. Some parts lie shadowed with poverty and some are brimming with the rich. There are places so ugly it’s hard to watch even on screen, and then there are places so beautiful they will leave you speechless.

You’ll have someone with a very high status, lacking any talent, and then someone who had sold soda bottles as a kid with unbelievable skill.

One such person is I. M. Vijayan. At an early age, he made his living selling soda bottles for 10 paise each, which is less than a U.S. penny. Today, he is regarded as one of the best footballers India has ever seen, and is the highest-earning footballer in India.

Vijayan was born in 1969, in Kerala. He made his first football appearance at the age of 17 for the Kerala Police and soon became highly accepted in domestic football.

Later, Vijayan played for teams like Mohun Bagan a very popular Indian club, and East Bengal. There, he partnered with India football celebrity, Baichung Bhutia.

Vijayan was known as a deadly striker. Aggressive and accurate, he was a lethal combination for opposing teams.

If India has more players like him, they might be unbeatable. Once he passes the wall of defense, a goal is undeniable, causing opposing teams to fear him.

On paper, he is just as notable, being the first Keralite to win the Arjuna Award and Footballer of the Year three times. He also scored the fastest-ever international goal, clocking in at 12 seconds against Bhutan.

Thailand and Malaysia both showed interest in him, but he decided to stay on in India. He retired as the highest goal scorer in the country. Vijayan was a team player, a match winner, and a great fan of the sport.

What amazes me is how many Indian players have gone unnoticed.

There are legend-worthy players with unbelievable talent from the poorest of families, yet they fade away in time and we go back to our conversation of how India isn’t producing any good football.

Is it the lack of resources? Or the ignorance of people?

If a soda bottle seller can be a top footballer, if a “Slumdog” can win the top prize in the game show Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, if someone who lifted a wicketkeeper's gloves because his coach asked him to can captain the Indian cricket team, what are we missing?

Vijayan is a well-respected player, but not very well known. He should be looked up to. You don’t have to be a superstar to be great. No one ever knows what talent lies hidden within them.

Having said that, things seem to have gotten better for Indian football recently. Akshay Joshi, a 10-year-old, is now being brought into the limelight. The fact that he scored 26 goals in six games shows how bright his future is.

Akshay, the son of a headload worker, was spotted playing for Vision India Projects, helping the future of Indian football. His favorite player is Cristiano Ronaldo and he says that his ambition is to score more goals and become a famous footballer.

Composure and skill are some of his qualities, yet we are still to see him play. There is no doubt this kid will one day play for India, but for now his story shows a positive side of football.

Kerala has promised to improve the football in its state. Manchester United and Chelsea have shown interest in helping to improve football in the country.

If India can be a force in cricket, tennis, hockey, chess, and so much more, then football should be next on the list.

And, finally, I sign out with the words of former U.S. president John F. Kennedy.

"All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talents.”

We all look up to stars like David Beckham and Zidane and aspire to be like them. Wealthy, popular, and everything that comes with it.

Is that wrong?

No.

There are times where such players teach you nothing... 

You don’t have to be rich to be great. You don’t have to earn £30 million just to prove that you are successful. What’s the world come to, letting a series of numbers in your bank account prove how talented you are?

India’s former captain, a part of the first-ever Indian football team on an overseas tour, a hard-hitting, skilled player and the one and only Asian footballer ever to be named among the best 10 captains in the world, by the English Football Association.

Now declared one of the footballers of the Century by the All-India Football Federation, Sailendra Nath Manna aka Sailen Manna, is a true legend in the history of Indian football.

Born in 1924, he started playing football at the age of 14. The second club he played for turned out to be the opening point of his career, Mohun Bagan, where he played for 19 years.

Manna led India to become Asia’s top team, inspiring more wins than ever. He captained Mohun Bagan and helped them win the Durand Cup three times in a row, with a total win of six in his career. 

Times weren’t good for football in Manna’s days, not only had he to play with bare feet but during his 19 years career in Mohun Bagan, he allegedly earned only Rs.19—less than 1 USD.

In 1950, the Indian team had to miss the World Cup as they didn’t know that playing bare feet wasn’t allowed.   

Not for money, not for fame but for the love of the game, is what Manna played for and his success showed in his records.

Six Durand Cups, 10 times winner of the Calcutta League as a Captain for Mohun Bagan, two Rover Cups, he led India to four successive titles in the South East Asian quadrangular meet The Padma Shri Awards (A prestigious award given by the Indian Government), he also led India to win the Gold Medal in the 1951 Asian Games.

Never one to strive for richness, Manna lives to see Indian football shine, like many others. As a player, he did not take money from his club, he was happy with the salary he got from his employer and played out of passion and loyalty for his team.

For people who talk about India not being successful due to the lack of money, here is a correction. If Manna could lead 11 boys to see the Asian World Cup in bare feet, why can’t we produce a World Cup team with training grounds, proper kits and (although not that great) some income?

African nations have managed to qualify for to the World Cup stages, look at Senegal...so what exactly is holding us back?

Many footballers’ today seem to be led astray by the lure of money and fame, but in India, "football" still remains the reason why youngsters play. Of course, everyone wants to be rich and famous, but they know that most of India’s wealth is invested in cricket.

Yet, if you pass by a car park or an usually empty street in India, you’ll see a number of small boys, in bare feet, wearing worn out "Beckham" or "Zidane" shirts running around kicking the ball as if it was the most important thing in the world.

They don’t have goal posts, they use stones to mark posts and yet it is more beautiful than any professional field that you will ever see.

Maybe we should learn a lesson or two from India. We called them a third world, we think about how poor it is, yet we know about India’s richness in culture. What we should know is about the richness in passion and team spirit. 

In watching them play you learn so many little lessons that have a huge impact on your life.  You see children of all ages and sizes come from homes barely worth living in, where food is scarce and survival is the key, we think "Oh, how sad."

They don’t though. No they don’t.

Give them a football and see their eyes light up, the same way most current EPL footballers would at the sight of a cheque worth a million dollars. Can you imagine feeling like you’ve won a million dollars just because you get to play football?

I didn’t think so. That’s why we need to learn from them.

That’s how we’re going to make a difference, that’s how we’re going to bring back what football once was.

Let these kids, show us the meaning of "football".

Who is Baichung Bhutia?

Baichung Bhutia. A nobody? Definitely not. One of the most acknowledged names in Indian football, he is also the captain of the Indian football team.

How it all began

In the beginning, his parents from Sikkim were apprehensive and believed Bhutia's interest in football would damage his focus on studies, but they gave in when he got a football scholarship at the age of nine from the Sports Authority of India.

He was thrown into the public eye by a first-rate performance in the 1992 Subroto Cup. He was then signed by East Bengal at the age of 16. Two years later, he moved to JCT and won his first Indian football League ever.

Only a year after that, he was named Indian Player of the year. By then, it was obvious he would go on to do something great. Bhutia was the youngest goal scorer for India.

Bhutia is now Indian football's pride and joy.

Going International

In 1999, Baichung traveled abroad to try out for Fulham and Aston Villa but didn't make the cut.

"It has all been getting quite crowded on the front line," an Aston Villa player said, when asked about why Bhutia did not make it. "Baichung played very well here, but Gregory chose to go for the names," he said. He also stated that for playing performance, Baichung was "close" to the standards of the other forwards.

When inquired about how it felt to play an exhibition match against Manchester United, he said, “"It was a dream come true for me to play against David Beckham and Andy Cole, who have been my heroes for years."

Returning back to India

In 2002, Bhutia returned back to India to play for Mohun Bagan. He had a stadium named after him in Namchi. He is one of the most admired individuals in the country and is deemed a role model to countless.

His Personal Life and Beliefs!

Bhutia has a number of favourite players, such as Thierry Henry and Ronaldino. He supports Arsenal and Barcelona.

Speaking about religion and beliefs, Bhutia said, “My being an atheist is more a matter of chance. I have been away from my family ever since I was a child. Usually, it is the family that teaches a child about religion.

"In my case, however, it didn't happen like that. I studied in a boarding school and took up professional football when I was 15. My wife and I don't follow any religion. We intend to remain so even in the future because we think religion only divides people”

The Olympic Torch

In 2008, Bhutia was requested to run with the Olympic torch in India, but he declined to carry the torch to show support for the Tibetan independence movement. Bhutia comes from Sikkim, which borders China. "I sympathise with the Tibetan cause. I'm against violence, but I thought I should stand by the Tibetan people in their fight," Bhutia said.

He was the first sportsman to refuse carrying the Olympic torch. His actions have earned him admiration and approval from the Tibetan community and its followers in India

Speaking about the future of Indian Football

Also India’s highest paid footballer, Bhutia still feels life of a footballer India is very limited. He feels that India has immensely talented players, but the training standards have to be bettered, and I have to say that I fully agree with him.

Bhutia sees the future for Indian football to be very bright, and doesn’t everyone?

This national team has been better than ever, and with a captain like Bhutia, there is no doubt that over the years, there’s bound to be much more improvement. Normally known as the cricket country, things are turning around for India!

Beginning as a small boy, with a big dream, Bhutia’s passion and determination brought him a long way, but he’s not the only one!

Many youngsters are pursuing their love for football in hopes of bringing India to the FIFA World Cup. It all begins with the dream. Why limit ourselves to cricket when, with the second-largest population in the world, we also have a huge amount of talent?

Here’s me signing off with a quote...Hoping and dreaming of a World Cup with India’s name on it!

“This could be the start of something...”

Mainly known for its beaches and party lifestyle (don’t forget the Fenny), Goa is a popular tourist destination in India. What many people get to know only after visiting the place, is the people's devotion to football.

Goa has risen to the status of a football powerhouse in India, challenging the might of West Bengal, which is considered the home of Indian football with teams like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. 

Considering Goa became a part of India after liberation from Portuguese rule in 1961, they have been quick to adopt a professional approach towards the growth and popularity of the sport at the grass root level. Dempo Sporting Club is a shining example of the rise of Goan football. 

Dempo SC, a club based in Panjim, the capital of Goa, was formed in 1960. Dempo is Goa's first professional football club. In the last four years, Dempo SC has won the Indian League thrice ('05, '06, '08), and have also won the India Super Cup (‘08), the Durand Cup (‘06) and the Federation Cup (‘04).

Dempo is the only Indian club to make it to the semifinals of the AFC Cup, when it defeated Home United FC in the quarters of the current edition.

Dempo SC boasts of a star-studded starting line-up, with the newly signed Nigerian striker Chidi Edeh, Mahesh Gawli, Nicolau Borges, Climax Lawrence, and Samir Naik.

Nigerian striker Chidi Edeh scored 11 goals last season and a hat-trick in the Federation Cup. Mahesh Gawli is already branded as the finest defender India has shaped in current times and left winger Nicolau Borges is one of the most exciting players in the league.

Dempo SC was in the dumps at the beginning of the 1999-2000 season, after club legends like Mauricio Afonso and Camilo Gonsalves hung up their boots. Dempo was facing relegation and the owner, Mr. Srinivas Dempo, was considering disbanding the team.

In his own words, “You cannot be mediocre. Either you are among the top or not there at all.”

It was only the intense fan support which made him change his mind. With a reduced budget and an inexperienced line-up, things were set to go downhill for Dempo SC when former player Mr. Armando Colaco took charge of the club to lead them back to their best.

In his first year, the club failed to make it into the top division but eventually won promotion the following year by winning the second division league.

Dempo finished fourth in the NFL and followed it up with a second place finish just four points behind East Bengal. That was the sign of the rise of Dempo and they won their first NFL in 2004-05.

They won back-to-back league titles for the last two years.

“Colaco’s selection of overseas players and his method of handling them have been a key factor. The foreigners have gelled well with the local boys and that is our strength,” says goalkeeper Abhijit Mondal.

An incident that nearly left Coach Armando in shatters, and practically caused him to leave coaching, was the demise of star striker Cristiano Junior in 2004. The Brazilian footballer died on the field on December 5th, tragically leaving his heart and jersey behind in Goa. His death, caused by cardiac arrest, had left almost the whole of India in a gloom.

Although he died on his true home, a football ground, his final act of scoring a goal enabled the team to win the Federation Cup. One player said, “Wish we had lost in the earlier round and returned home, for then our Junior would still be with us."

The team paid its respect to Junior by winning the NFL that year. It was a deep emotional setback for the team. But it was his dream to be the champion who provided the motivation for the whole club to carry on and succeed.

Today, under Colaco, Dempo are one of the most feared sides in Indian football and have won almost everything club football in India has to offer—yet its hunger is insatiable.

Why do people love Dempo SC? Fans say they don’t play for money, they play because they have football in their heart. But rivals say that everyone likes to support a successful team.

Dempo are the most dominant football club in Goa, and maybe even India. They have won almost every silverware in the country—ask the fans who have stood by their club through ups and downs, even when the club almost got disbanded due to poor performances. But thanks to Coach Armando, the club is now at its highest form and only seem to be getting better.

Fans still believe they play with flair and the eternal smile on their faces is not because of money or pride but because of the passion they have for the beautiful game.

Dempo SC faces Lebanese team SAFA FC in the semifinals of the AFC Cup on October 21. The team lost its last league match against JCT but the coach is confident about his team’s chances in the AFC.