The Football season is nearing its climax, with the Indian I-League all set for a nail-biting finish as Aizawl FC and Mohun Bagan will play their final fixtures to decide the league on Sunday. While in the Premier League, the fight is very much open, but Chelsea seems to have a clear edge above others. Champions League is as unpredictable as it has always been.
In a candid conversation with India’s most renowned football commentator and journalist, Novy Kapadia, we wrapped up this football season and we also talked about the upcoming FIFA U17 World Cup in India and India’s chances to qualify for the Men’s’ FIFA World Cup in near future. Here are some excerpts from the interview:
What are your predictions for the I-League finale?
“ It’s a touch and go situation, the pressure is on Aizawl as they are going to play without two of their best players who are suspended because of previous yellow cards, Ashutosh Mehta, who is an outstanding player and a tough defender and I think he was one of the star players in the crucial games against Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. And, they will be missing Alfred Jaryan, who is a very important midfielder because he allows Mahmoud Amnah to play an attacking game as he covers everything in defence. The absence of these two players is a major blow to Aizawl.
Secondly, the teams that were not used to winning, tend to blow it. I remember covering every NFL(1996-2007) and I-League(2007 onwards) match as a commentator or a journalist. In the very first one (NFL), The Churchill Brothers needed a win against the bottom placed Indian Bank, they ended up with a draw and JCT won their fixture to become the Champions. So I am not discounting Mohun Bagan chances, of course, Aizawl has the edge and all they need is a draw against Shillong Lajong.”
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Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have agreed to play in the ISL(Indian Super League) if their demands are fulfilled by AIFF. How will that affect the current scenario of Indian Football?
“I suppose there is no alternative to this and the AIFF is hell bent to do this. I frankly believe that any league where there is no relegation, there is no fear. I mean the same 10 teams are going to keep on playing for 5 years. What is the incentive, if there is no relegation? I don’t think AIFF has handled it very well, frankly speaking.”
And what about the teams in the bottom half of the I-league table?
“Mumbai FC have been relegated, which is sad because being a low budget team they survived for 8 years, but this year they haven’t. I think all these experiments are not right because three of the teams play without any pressure of relegation, Chennai City, Minerva Punjab and DSK Shivajians. They know they are not going to be relegated. I mean what is the pressure? Football is all about playing under pressure, the tension, similar to what Aizawl will feel when they take the field on Sunday in Shillong Lajong.”
Will the I-league ever meet the popularity of the European leagues like the Premier League in England?
“Forget England, This is India! India can never be England, not in another 100 years, in Football. Trust me I have seen Indian football all my life. ”
So there is no hope for India to go to the FIFA World Cup in next 8-12 years?
“That’s a joke, The World Cup qualifications begin three years prior to the World Cup. The next World Cup is in 2018, then in 2022, the qualifications for the 2026 World Cup begins in 2023, So where and when is the team going to develop? Just see the difference between European and Indian standards. All these foreign players that come to play in the ISL can not play for India.”
But the foreign players do provide a good exposure to the Indian players, don’t you think so?
“What exposure do they provide? They mostly play among themselves. We need to watch critically and not get carried away with all this. Trust me, I will be dead and gone by 2050 and unless we host the World Cup, there is absolutely no chance of qualifying.”
The FIFA U17 World Cup is being hosted by India this year and this will be the first generation of Indian footballers to play in a FIFA World Cup, apart from the one that qualified for the 1950 World Cup, but were denied to play, allegedly because of not wearing boots. Can that be seen as a positive sign for Indian Football?
“Firstly, the story of 1950(of not wearing Boots) is all a myth. I explained that in my Book ‘Football Fanatics’ as well. There was no such thing, India did qualified for the World Cup, but decided not go. It had nothing to do with the boots. It’s all rubbish, only the Bengal players played bare-footed, all the Hyderabad players played with boots. Please realise that in 1950 the World Cup was a very tiny tournament and nobody cared for it at that time. The Olympics were everything. The players didn’t want to go and be sacrificed as a professional. It had nothing to do with all these stories that are being perpetuated. India had a very good team at that time, we were the Champions of Asia. Although, we should have gone to the World Cup. It could have made a huge difference for Indian Football.
Secondly, the current U-17 team, I think they have done a good job and will get a lot of exposure, but do not expect any miracles as the other teams are far superior. ”
But we do need to encourage and support these young flag-bearers of India to set a good example for the future generations.
“Football is watched only in 2 or 3 regions of India. We have only one team representing the North-East i.e. the North-East United in the ISL. How will the youngsters be developed from the region that provides the majority of players to the national team?
It’s a good thing that the U-17 players will be developed (in the World Cup). But I don’t think they will do any miracles. Football is not Cricket where only 11-12 teams play, neither it is comparable to hockey where only 16 teams play. Football is played by 210 countries. Football is a very difficult game to make your mark in. ”
Moving on to European football, What are your predictions for EPL and Champions League?
“Chelsea are going to win the EPL, no doubt about that.”
And what are the chances of Manchester United getting into the top4?
“It seems doubtful as they will have extra pressure to play Europa League as well. My pick for the top-4 will be Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspurs, Liverpool and Manchester City. Manchester United will be 5th and Arsenal on 6th, according to me.”
Manchester United have two doors open for playing in the Champions League’s next season, will they be able to make it?
“I think they have a very good chance to win the Europa League. If they win it , that’s the only possibility according to me for them to qualify for Champions League, otherwise not.”
And finally, What are your predictions for this years’ Champions League?
“Very hard to predict. I think it will be the winner of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid semifinal. The Madrid Derby is very difficult to predict, but I feel the winner of the derby match will go all the way.
But of course, this has been a very open Champions League, Two of the top teams have been knocked out, i.e., Bayern Munich and Barcelona. So it’s very open and we have been noticing from the last three years that these three teams(including Real Madrid) have been dominating. Now that two of these three have been knocked out, it can be anybody. It can be Juventus or even Monaco can be a surprise package. ”
Novy Kapadia is a celebrated Football Commentator and journalist. He is also the author of the books ‘The Football Fanatics: Essential Guide’ and ‘The Novels of Bapsi Sidhwa’.