Bangladesh and Pakistan friendlies great news for UK expats, but not Team India

Photo Credit: AIFF Media

The mention of India’s international friendlies against Bangladesh and Pakistan on June 1 and 4 respectively in London on FIFA’s official website has been heavily discussed on social media platforms by Indian football fans, and has received mixed reactions.

While some are delighted with the fact that the national team will be in action in the summer, many can’t believe that the players will travel all the way to England to take on the two South Asian neighbours, who are placed below India in the FIFA rankings.

Some of that disappointment is because there was a rumour that India could face nations like Scotland, Malta and Luxembourg, while part of it is because many fans rightly feel that Wim Koevermans’ side should be facing stronger opposition from other parts of Asia.

Now, the sports management company which is responsible for organising these matches is naturally looking to get the best deal possible, and fixtures against Bangladesh and Pakistan in the UK, which is full of expats from the three countries, certainly sounds profitable.

The clashes, which are subject to confirmation from the federations of the three countries, will of course be great news for the expats living in the United Kingdom, because they don’t get to see their country play the beautiful game often. Indians in the UK were able to see their national team play in England in the early 2000s, as India toured there in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

All three times, it proved to be a huge success, as the Indian team would be cheered on by thousands in different stadiums in England. India faced English clubs and even Bangaldesh back in 2000, and there were also the twin friendlies against Jamaica in 2002.

The expats in UK will be delighted

So, the fixtures against Bangladesh and Pakistan will surely excite the Indian expats in England, especially after the cancellation of an Indo-Pak three-match series back in 2011. However, from a football point of view, it doesn’t really help the Indian national team.

It is undoubtedly important for India to play international friendlies regularly, but it is even more important to face the right opposition. Last month, I had discussed why India should be only playing Asian nations, so if we eventually don’t play the likes of Scotland or Malta, that completely makes sense. However, we do need try our luck against national teams from outside South Asia as well.

One could argue that Bangladesh is an ideal opponent as they are placed only five spots below us but let’s not forget that FIFA rankings can be misleading sometimes. It’s not being disrespectful to any of our South Asian neighbours, but just revealing the reality that India have to test themselves against nations from South-East and West Asia away from home, because outside home soil our record has been very poor against non-South Asian teams.

Any Indo-Pak clash is exciting but we need to play stronger Asian teamsPhoto Credit: AIFF Media

India are the most successful team in SAFF Cup history, but have struggled in Asian competitions besides the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup when they had home advantage. The group stage exit from the 2012 Challenge Cup in Nepal and most recently the disappointment at the 2014 Challenge Cup qualifiers in Myanmar is proof of the fact that we find it difficult against teams from outside the sub-continent away from home.

Most of the nations outside South Asia are technically better than India, and that difference was exposed harshly against Myanmar, as India failed to get the point that was needed to qualify for the 2014 Challenge Cup.

Bahrain, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam are some of the nations that India could have faced this summer to see where they stand in the Asian ladder, and what areas needs to be improved upon.

India might very well beat Bangladesh and Pakistan in front of big crowds in England and build confidence, and maybe even improve their FIFA ranking slightly. But Wim Koevermans’ side won’t necessarily take a step forward because they could once again be found wanting against non-South Asian opposition in an important match on foreign soil.

Our national team has to familiarise with the difficulties of facing stronger Asian national teams, or we will keep going backwards like we have in the last two years after the historic appearance in the 2011 Asian Cup.