India should follow the footsteps of China: Houghton

Divya Kalra / INDIATIMES NEWS NETWORK / Aug 11, 2007, 17:09 IST

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In a candid interview, the Indian football team coach Bob Houghton talks about football in a cricket crazy nation.

India should follow the footsteps of China: Houghton

In a candid interview, the Indian football team coach Bob Houghton talks about football in a cricket crazy nation.

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Let's move into a new era and have a professional league, is Houghton's message on Independence Day
Q: What do you have to say about India’s performance at the practice games in Portugal? Are you happy?
A: It was a very nice camp and the training facilities were wonderful in Portugal. We played four matches, and these matches were good as they were of the right standard. It was a good preparation for us and we all enjoyed the matches.
Q:With so many international tournaments lined-up in the coming season, do you see a ‘good year ahead’ for the sport in India? Are there chances of India improving its world rankings?

A: Last year we played two-three matches and that is why our FIFA rankings sunk so low, because we didn’t play enough matches. But this year we have a good program lined-up for us. We have three Asian tournaments, the ONGC Cup, the SAFF Games, and the AFC Challenge Cup – all in the next 12 months. Then we also have some World Cup qualifier matches, and one or two friendly matches. On the whole, we should be playing 15-20 matches this year.
This is what is required and I think just by preparing properly, we can take big steps forward in improving our world rankings. If we get enough time allocated to us in the calendar and play enough matches, we can improve our rankings for sure.
Q: How would you assess your job as the coach to a team that currently ranks 161 in the world?
A: I believe the 161 thing is a little bit deceptive. To climb up the FIFA rankings you have to get points and to get points you have to play matches. Now the national football team has not played a game since October 2006. So there is no way we can move up the rankings if we don’t play. In fact, then the team was not given well enough time to prepare because football calendar was so crowded, so tight.
This time around the scene is different. We had a training camp in July in Gurgaon and then we went to Portugal. Now we are back in Gurgaon, almost 10 days before the tournament (ONGC Cup) kicks off. I think if we can do what we have done now, we’ll definitely progress.
Q: You have been coaching the Indian side since last year. Why is India not able to produce world class players?
A: There are two things that are absolutely essential to produce world class players – one is ‘good facilities’ and the second is ‘good coaches’.
Now on the first part, I would say the facilities are horrific, dreadful, the worst I have seen anywhere. So that’s the big drawback.
As for the coaches, I am not completely sure about that. But definitely we need to improve the all-round coaching, because I believe developing football players is not different to developing people for other areas of life. If you get good school and a good teacher, you get a good pupil. Basically, you need to get the facilities and the coaches right.
Q: What measures can be taken to make the sport popular in India?
A: I think the sport will get popular when you get a successful national team and a well-organized national professional league. So that is what we have set our tasks on. We are trying to do the best with this national team by giving them more tournaments, more training, and development programmes. A good step is that the national professional league is scheduled to start this year.
Well, the truth is that for the last 20 years or so we have stood still and other countries in Asia have come through the roof. If you look at China, Japan, Korea, and the Gulf countries – Saudi Arabia, Qatar – the facilities and the amount of money spent on the game is enormous. This is the reason why these nations have taken enormous steps forward and we have been left behind.
Q: In a cricket crazy nation, do you think football is getting enough media coverage?
A: Generally speaking, the media is like a market. If you are getting no coverage, it’s generally because it does not interest. If people were demanding and going to the stadiums to watch football matches, then the media is obviously forced to report on it.
In fact, the media writes more about foreign football, writes about the Premiership in England, the Brazil national team. This is even worse, because then people get attached to watch England, Italy, Real Madrid and Barcelona; than watching their own football. I believe we need to get going; otherwise we are going to get even further left behind.
Q: Tata Football Academy is doing a commendable job in training young aspirants and producing quality players. Do you think more corporates should be involved in the promotion of the sport?
A: Absolutely, India should follow in the footsteps of China both in terms of its economic development and its sporting development, which is driven by deep central organization and huge sponsorships from the Chinese companies. If you look at the Premiership clubs in China today, they have got fantastic facilities – 20 pitches where kids from six years of age to 18 years of age come for training everyday. This has been possible because of the big companies that have grown enormously in the last 10 years of the economic development in China, which have invested in the parks.
Now here, it happens in adhoc circumstances – there is an academy here and an academy there. It really needs some sense of organization and sponsorship charted correctly. You need some real big sponsors to get involved here. This can happen if India follows the economic footsteps of China.
Q.What has been the role of All India Football Federation (AIFF) in bringing up the sport in India? Are you satisfied with their endeavours?
A: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is trying to move forward in a country that is extremely conservative in terms of its football structure. We have got tournaments here, the second oldest tournament - the Durand Cup; there are all sorts of competitions, there is Santosh Trophy, the locals, the national, there are so many. You need to centralise the professional game.
As for the people, they want it both ways. They still want to have these quaint competitions like Santosh Trophy. In cultural and sentimental terms, it means a lot to people and there is nothing wrong with this. Just scrap the football league and let’s just play the other tournaments where people travel to Kerala one week, and Bangalore the next week. That’s fine as long as you don’t want a successful national team. So if you want these traditional old tournaments should keep going because you have got sentimental about them, then that’s nice. But that has got nothing to do with international professional football. Certainly it is 100 years away from you. Now you can’t have it both ways. If you are going to complain that the Indian national team is 161 and it’s terrible, then you can’t help. The answer to this is because you also want the old traditional things. You can’t have it both ways.
Q: How would you assess the recent performance of the Indian skipper Bhaichung Bhutia?
A: Bhaichung Bhutia is an outstanding player of this generation. For the boys, he is a good leader and a good man. Players like and respect him.
Q: Do you see India qualifying to play at the World Cup somewhere in time?
A: For sure, the Indian football team will qualify somewhere in time. As for how soon it happens, it all depends on how quickly we get the whole thing up and running – basically the facilities, good coaches and the clubs.
Q: India will celebrate its 60 years of Independence this August 15. Any message for the ardent watchers of the game and the players?
A: Now we need to forget those old colonial British influences, those old football competitions that were organized when the Brits were here. Let’s move into a new era and have a professional league, one good Cup competition and also give time to the national team and get the players together.

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