"We need to take football to the people rather than people coming"- Former goalkeeper Henry Menezes on making the sport more accessible to Indian fans

Henry Menezes is a man of many skills. The former national goalkeeper is currently behind the mic for the ongoing Durand Cup 2022, captivating audiences with his exciting translation of on-field events.

Whilst covering the tournament, the Governing Council Member at the International Sports University of Maharashtra has also managed to spot some of the most exciting talents on display.

In an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda, Menezes opened up about the 2022 Durand Cup that is being broadcast on Sports 18 – 1 and Sports18 Khel. The former custodian shed light on the significance of the historic tournament being played across multiple venues and the teams that are likely to lift the trophy.

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Here are excerpts from Sportskeeda's exclusive interaction with Henry Menezes.

Q. In the ongoing Durand Cup, what have been the most exciting factors of the tournament?

Menezes: If we want to make football popular, we need to take football to the people rather than people coming to football. The 131st edition of the Indian Oil Durand Cup has done just that and look at the response. Where do we see packed stadiums in group stage matches?

The strategy to take the Durand Cup to five venues in three different states with 20 teams – all 11 Indian Super League teams, five teams from the I-League and four from the Services and show all the matches live on Sports18 -1, and Sports18 Khel was a cracker of a decision.

To top that off, the 131st edition of the Durand Cup gets recognition by the Asian Football Confederation to become one of two competitions that comply with their guidelines, which makes it mandatory for clubs to play a minimum of 27 matches over eight months. Hence, the Durand Cup makes its entry into the Indian football calendar and the Super Cup.

Out of the 20 teams, 17 have come with their strongest side, hence the tournament has been very competitive and the contests have been thrilling and entertaining. Look at the Services teams; they have broken the equations of the groups. Their physical fitness and excellent attacking play have given opponents a run for their money.

It has been lively right from the start of the group stages, attracting huge spectators to witness the exciting encounters. So we can say it is one of India’s top-notch competitions.

Q. Amongst the fresh faces of the teams participating in the Durand Cup 2022, who has impressed you? What about these players did you find impressive?

Menezes: Lalchungnunga Chhangte, Sivasakthi Narayan, Akshuna, Nemil, Mohammed Aimen, Gyamar Nikum and a few other players, as well as fresh faces from the league, have impressed a lot this season with their consistent performances. So, the future looks very bright, and I think these boys will make a mark in the coming season.

Hyderabad FC winger Chhangte is technically solid, sizzling on the wings, plays with both feet, has good speed, can cross, and dribbles well.

Bengaluru FC’s Narayan has a fabulous presence of mind; his positioning and timely runs between defenders have made him look very dangerous in the attacking third, and he has been very clinical in front of goal. Aimen helped the Kerala Blasters reserve side grab points from the league stage by scoring three goals.

RFYS developed players Muhammad Nemil (FC Goa) and Aritra Das (KBFC) have had outstanding performances for their clubs. Then there is Akshuna Taygi (Odisha FC), centre-back Alex Saji (Hyderabad FC), and Rajasthan United’s Nikum looks very close to jumping on to an ISL club.

Q. According to you, which teams seem to be contenders for the Durand Cup? What have been the key factors with these teams that can lead them to becoming champions?

Menezes: Personally, the two best teams in the tournament have been Hyderabad FC and the in-form Mumbai City FC. Hyderabad will depend on Bart Ogbeche to deliver, but they have great depth. They like to press and choke opponents higher up and dominate the mid-field, with Joao and Borja linking up with Ogbeche and breaking their opponents from the mid.

They also have the wily Chhangte and Akash Mishra combination on the left, with Nikhil and Yasir on the right to break open and deliver from the width. Odei haș manned the defense well with Nim.

Overall, a well-balanced side that plays attractive football with a strong bench with Siverio, Kianese, Hali, Sweden and Hitesh would be very difficult to beat.

Mumbai City FC are in great form and have played some good football, they make it difficult for opponents’opponents’ defenders with their tremendous speed and can go wide with Chhangte on the right and Bipin on the left to wrap the ball in front of goal and make their strikers Diaz and Stewart work in attack. They are a very creative midfield with Jahouh’s vision and can make some defence-splitting passes and link up with Stewart and the wingers. Griffiths has adapted well and will lead from behind.

With Chhangte scoring five goals, Greg Stewart three, and Vikram Singh two with Diaz, Jahouh & Mehtab one, they are more dangerous in scoring.

Overall, in my opinion, if I have to choose between the two main contenders, I will go with Mumbai City FC.

Q. Now that the AIFF elections are over, how do you envision the future of Indian football shaping up?

Menezes: This is the first time we have a president & secretary general who have worked from grassroots to professional and have some great eminent players in their think-tank. They will surely make a robust road map for football in India.

I am sure they understand that India needs to host World and Asian level tournaments to inspire youth and build a football culture in India. At the same time, we need to increase the opportunity to work on the coach education program and make more than 100,000 coaches in the next five yrs. it is essential to standardize coaching across the country at all levels, whether it is school, university or club.

We should also have state and district associations to conduct age-group tournaments on weekends. In addition, we should encourage stakeholders to create grassroots baby leagues across districts and states. Every kid must have the opportunity to play 50-60 matches a year.

At the state level, we must introduce professional leagues in their states to improve the quality of football etc. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to bring back tournaments like the Rovers Cup, IFA Shield, etc to the Elite rank, so that top ISL & I League teams participate. This will spread the football pan-India

Whoever is at the helm of affairs should work towards improving Indian football. We need more investment at the grassroots level, along with better infrastructure. We should have more local tournaments to create a pipeline of footballers who can represent the country, and more global competitions like the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022 to inspire a new generation of footballers.

Q. One of the noticeable things is the difference in quality of the Indian players from the foreign contingent. What can be done to bridge this gap in the long run?

Menezes: We have some really good quality foreigners playing in the ISL & I League teams. This is a blessing in disguise as they are technically outstanding. However, there is a tremendous improvement in Indian players in terms of their first touch and basics. Indian players have, to some extent, raised their bar to complement the quality foreign players bring to the pitch. What the Indian players need is more match experience and must look to play 40-50 top-class matches to keep getting better.

Nowadays, clubs have reserve teams, age group teams, academies etc., and so many young players rise from these development teams to the senior teams, which is a great sign.

But match experience is an essential part of the development. We need to encourage clubs to participate in as many tournaments and development leagues as possible. We have to try and see to it that the players in senior, youth and age groups play every weekend.

If you look at the players now, I think we have made tremendous progress over the last few years. Football quality keeps improving, but we need to focus on the basics first. We need to catch them young and invest more on our grassroots. These are small and basic steps that will help Indian football in unimaginable ways in the long run, if implemented well.

Q. The teams fielded by the Army, the Navy and the Air Force have had some impressive displays in this edition of the tournament. Do you feel these sides could be introduced into the general football season like other clubs?

Menezes: Yes, they have been impressive and have played some great football in the tournament so far. But we also need to remember that these are not professional clubs. The Durand Cup undoubtedly gives these players a great opportunity, but the professional setup and its requirements are vastly different.

I have been to many AFC Cup tournaments and have seen some Armed Forces teams play at the National League levels too. Singapore Armed Forces is one such team that qualifies for the AFC Cup consistently, and then I, too, feel that the four Services teams can form a top side and should get a chance to play in the I-League. They have proper infrastructure and fantastic sporting facilities.

Q. The current venues for the Durand Cup are Kolkata, Imphal and Guwahati. Which other footballing cities could host the Durand Cup in the future and make the tournament a success?

Menezes: This is a great initiative to take the competition to places like Guwahati and Imphal, which have been football hotbeds. It allows fans in these places to witness the games from close quarters. Places like Kerala and Goa have been traditional football hotspots along with the metro cities of Mumbai and Delhi and have the required infrastructure to organize such tournaments. It allows spreading the fandom across and does not limit it to certain pockets only.