Vision 2047: Will it help India play in the Fifa World Cup?

As the dust settles down on the first-ever Fifa World Cup in the Middle East, the Indian football fans are back to their familiar lament: when will we, a nation of 1.3 billion, play in the World Cup?

The day Argentina and France were supposed to lock horns in what turned out to be a titanic final, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an announcement during a visit to the North East that India could be hosting a Fifa-World-Cup-like tournament in future with them a part of it. “Today the teams playing the Qatar final is between foreign countries. But, I can say with assurance that we will be organising an event like the Fifa World Cup in India and will cheer for the tricolour,” he said.

An Utopian idea? Yes, but only if one believes that no goal can be achieved. The only realistic route to see the national team play in the showpiece would be to bid for the World Cup successfully and play as hosts without the pressure of qualifying – much like the way Qatar had done this time. However, the oil-rich Gulf state is the current Asian Cup champion and has a long standing lineage in the game in west Asia.

India, on the other hand is the proverbial sleeping giant when it comes to football — still harking back to the glory days of the Fifties and Sixties — with the last major achievement at the continental level being the bronze medal at the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok. There have been the odd bright sparks over the last 50 years or so, but the bigger picture is they now languish at the 19th position among Asian countries and 106 in Fifa rankings.

Interestingly enough, the last five years have seen India host two age-group World Cups (Under-17 men and women) smoothly in 2017 and 2022, with them fielding teams in both — though it was hardly surprising that they looked out of depth. Only recently, Anurag Thakur, Union Minister of Sport said in an interview that India actually plans to bid for the 2036 Summer Olympics during the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Congress in Mumbai later this year — with Ahmedabad as the host city in mind. As an emerging global power, if they actually go that far, can the dreams of hosting the World Cup finals be far behind?

When asked about such a possibility, a senior official of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is guarded in his reply – and justifiably so. “I think the Prime Minister was talking in reference to the brilliant atmosphere and energy at the Qatar World Cup, and expressed a desire to host an event of a similar stature in India someday. India definitely has the capability but right now, our strategic outlook is to focus on the foundations and strengthen them,” remarks Dr Shaji Prabhakaran, Secretary General, AIFF.

Speaking to GN Focus in an exclusive interview soon after releasing their much-awaited blueprint for growth, Vision 2047, Prabhakaran says, “The federation is working closely with the government and other stakeholders to develop the game in the country and that is our objective right now. When the time is right, we will look into making a bid for the World Cup.”

Launched with much fanfare in New Delhi on January 7, a roadmap over 25 years is an unprecedented step from the national governing body — which has had a history of chequered governance and in fact, suffered the humiliation of a Fifa ban last August for third party interference from the judiciary. The politics behind choosing 2047 is also unmissable for it marks the centenary year of India’s independence.

The salient features of the roadmap — according to the AIFF — are to see India among the top four footballing nations in Asia (an ideal scenario for the World Cup dream as it will offer nine berths for Asia in a 48-nation field from the 2026 edition), host one of the top leagues in Asia and create a vibrant footballing ecosystem.

Developed in conjunction with all stakeholders within Indian football by the new regime headed by Kalyan Chaubey, the first international footballer to take up the president’s hot seat in the AIFF, the roadmap has also sought and incorporated input from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Fifa. Vision 2047 has been broken down into six four-year strategic plans — with the opening one running till 2026.

There are no dearth of naysayers about Indian football in a country obsessed with cricket — though there seems to be a positive shift towards the birth of a sporting culture in recent years. The success story of the likes of the men’s badminton team in winning the Thomas Cup or those of P.V. Sindhu and Saina Nehwal have certainly spawned a badminton revolution, while Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra has made us take a relook at athletics — and javelin in particular.

And therein lies the challenge —everyone likes a winner and Indian football certainly needs an extraordinary surge in fortunes and a few icons to have more youth taking to the sport. However, the harsh reality is that football is a truly global sport with more than 200 countries fighting for a place under the sun, and there are no shortcuts to success. Dr Prabhakaran has no qualms about admitting it either.

Asked whether the increased field of 48 teams from the next edition (to be co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada) may help in India’s chances by a long shot, the experienced administrator struck a pragmatic note. “A 48-team World Cup, with more Asian teams in it, is hugely encouraging for us. The increase in slots is obviously good for India too, because it improves India’s chances too in the future. It must also be remembered that there are a lot of Asian teams, who having never played at a World Cup will also be jostling for a spot.

“Our focus at this time is to rise at the Asian level and if things go well, we will get there. Our current strategy is to develop our players and our competitive structure, help the national team grow and get better results. All of this will help the masses fall in love with football again, and create a circular effect,” Dr Prabhakaran observes.

Shabbir Ali, former captain and technical director of the Indian team and now an AIFF executive committee member as an eminent player, feels making the cut will remain a tall order, despite the increase in teams from the next edition. “We currently rank 19th in Asia, hence it is difficult but if we play more matches with higher ranked teams (in the Asian Cup) and perform well, then perhaps opportunities may open up with nine spots at stake.

“However, as Qatar has showed, the gap between so-called big and smaller teams has narrowed and even the higher ranked teams cannot take their qualification for granted. Some of the powerful teams from Asia and Europe could not qualify in recent times — for example Italy, the Euro 2020 champions, couldn’t make it to Qatar while The Netherlands missed out on the 2018 Cup,” he says from Hyderabad.

While it remains to be seen how effectively Vision 2047 is implemented, the current agenda for the Indian national team will be to try and qualify for the Asian Cup final round on a regular basis as it is the only way to improve their rankings. Sunil Chhetri and company have acquitted themselves well on this score by making the cut for two back-to-back finals, in 2019 in the UAE, and the upcoming 2023 fare.

The last edition in the UAE saw India flattering to deceive as they opened their campaign with a rousing 4-1 win over Thailand, before slumping to narrow defeats against the hosts and Bahrain. Dhiman Sarkar, a senior journalist associated with a mainstream English publishing house in India and who has covered four World Cups, called for more continuity in performance in the Asian Cup as the first step forward.

“Let’s face it, it takes time if you want to make an impact on the world stage in this sport. A country like South Korea started playing in the World Cup finals since 1986, but they won their first group game only in 2002. Planning as well as patience is key,” says Sarkar.

While Vision 2047 looks well-meaning on paper, can the AIFF guarantee its continuity once the current regime completes its term?

“It is obvious that the current regime will not be around till 2047. In this regard, our strategy is simple. We must, within the period of our appointment, ensure that the goals are fulfilled, objectives met, and success achieved. Success begets success. The world over, if you see, new regimes will always follow the path where results are met. A culture of success creates continuity. We are focussed on structuring everything and putting in place robust governance models,” says Dr Prabhakaran.

“If the structure and governance model are strong, then people replacing each other will cease to matter. Why would you choose a different path if the one in place yields results?

“Ensuring that goals and targets are met right now will create a cascade effect and ensure everyone looks forward. Whatever we are doing is for the country — Indian football comes first,” he signs off. ●

• A 25-year-long blueprint released by the AIFF for the development of football in India, culminating in the 100th year of Indian independence in 2047

• Vision 2047 has been broken down to six four-year strategic plans — with the opening one running till 2026

• The roadmap aims to see India among the top four footballing nations in Asia; host one of the top leagues in Asia and create a vibrant footballing ecosystem

• AIFF wants to create a three-tier men’s national league. A four-level league table for women is also on the anvil by the first phase of the strategic plan in 2026

• To ensure increased access to competition and games for national players — the ultimate goal being to host at least 55 matches across different competitions every season by 2047

• To ensure 35 million children get to play the game through grassroots programmes and implement village grassroot programmes across 100 villages throughout India in the first phase. The ultimate goal is to take the figure to the 100-million mark by 2047