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What's the story
Indian football legend Bhaichung Bhutia believes that the Indian women's football team stands a better chance of qualifying for the World Cup, rather than the men's team.
In case you didn't know
Bhutia recently made an appearance at a training camp for coaches in the women's football division. After retiring from football, Bhutia is now an advisor to All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel.
The heart of the matter
While the men's football team have shown a lot of improvement over the last couple of years, Bhutia feels that it is the women, who stand a better chance of winning the race to a FIFA World Cup.
“I strongly feel women have a much better chance of qualification to the World Cup. Just look at the rankings," he said to The Times of India. "For 15-20 years, women have consistently been the better-ranked team, despite we not doing much for them. The potential is huge.
He further went on to say that the AIFF is looking into the matter of building a proper infrastructure to give the women's team the launch-pad that it needs to make it to the World Cup.
"If we can invest more, the chances of qualification are bright. Realistically, we have a better chance with women," he continued. "We are trying to put together a team. We have taken the initiative and should have a women’s team soon."
What's next
India are currently ranked 56th in the FIFA Women's Rankings and the World Cup is just two years away. While the chance to qualify for the 2019 World Cup has gone, India will be looking to strengthen their team for the future.
Sportskeeda's take
The women's team participated in the 2018 AFC Asian Women's Cup Qualification round. Unfortunately, they failed to qualify for the Asian Cup, beginning in April. This meant that India lost out on the chance to qualify for the 2019 World Cup. However, a proper setup in the women's circuit would certainly go a long way to help improve the team.
