Lessons that India needs to learn from the 2013 SAFF Championship

At the end, Team India was unhappy of not having won the 2013 SAFF Championship final against Afghanistan in Kathmandu though they had more of the game and numerous more chances than the Afghans, who scored two of their three/four chances. Simply said this is football, but India, on the other hand, could have been knocked out in the group stages itself.

The post-match statements somehow reminded me of December 2011 when India beat Afghanistan 4-0 to lift the SAFF Cup trophy at home in New Delhi. Only then, Afghanistan was moaning about a defeat which did not have to be.

But still for India, the so-called superpower of South Asian football, there are numerous lessons to be learned from the tournament. Only, will the AIFF and coach Wim Koevermans implement them? That we will have to wait and see.

Preparations: A lesson of recent FIFA match day friendlies is that an Indian national team cannot perform at international level, not even at the SAFF level, without a proper preparatory camp, especially when players are coming out of the summer break and are in early pre-season. The result against Tajikistan and the only 10 day Bangalore camp are not enough to prepare the boys for an international competition.

Ground conditions: One cannot hold a camp on an artificial turf surface like the one at the Bangalore Football Stadium knowing that the SAFF Championship would be played at the stadiums in Kathmandu, which have been damaged by the monsoons. The footage from the SAFF Under-16 Cup final between India and hosts Nepal should have been enough indication what ground conditions could and would await India in Kathmandu.

The squad composition: I personally like Wim Koevermans and it is great to talk football with him, but his squad selection has been awful since he became India coach. Though, I vehemently defer with the general opinion that only I-League performances should be the criteria for making it into the national team. My years of experience of having travelled with Team India tell me that there are players who will be good on the grounds of Kolkata or Goa, even in the I-League but these players are not of international quality. Further there are players, who will always perform when they put on an India shirt. This needs to be understood and implemented by the national coach and his coaching staff.

Ex-Players & Coaches should show more respect: I am very disturbed when ex-players and coaches make comments about the commitment of the current India players towards the national team. Always the line comes, we were better in the past and then the same lot is surprised that they get no respect.

Don’t simply blame the players: There are people who think that grown-up men can still learn their football in their mid-twenties and above. The reality is, its too late by then. These players are finished products, where a little polishing can be done here and there, but nothing more.

Only a foreigner should be India coach: The AIFF Technical Committee is set to meet to decide Wim Koevermans’ future, which is unclear at the moment. But one thing needs to be remembered, only a foreign national coach holds real respect amongst the Indian players. Like it or not, but that is what I have seen while travelling with Team India over the years. And this fact will not be to the liking of a number of Indian coaches.

I sincerely hope that an introspection happens into the SAFF Championship performance though I honestly have my doubts that will happen honestly, openly and sincerely. It is needed…

Here’s a video on what needs to be done for the benefit of Indian football: