What Really Matters

I was in shock to see the result of the match. I couldn't believe what i saw. Not that I expected them to win but never in my wildest dream i expected them to go down this way. I thought a nation that lives and breathes football would atleast put up a fight but no, they didn't, there was no coordination or discipline. There were defensive lapses. Allowing the opposition's player to roam freely in the box cost them dearly. Running around aimlessly did not help their cause either. It was humiliating to watch the game after awhile. Not to take anything away from the winners but the losing team deserved what they got. For those don't know, I am talking about the FIFA World Cup Semi-final match between Germany and Brazil. The former annihilated the latter. The scoreline was 7-1. Yes, Germans scored seven goals against the team who were considered favourite to win this tournament. It was a stunning victory for Die Mannschaft. They were merciless in front of the goal and th...

It is hard to imagine that India, a country of over billion people, is not part of an event that has attracted viewers from across the world. We have failed to make an impact in the sport of football. We are not even on the map. Currently placed at 146 th  in the FIFA rankings, the future doesn’t look too bright either. The last time we qualified for the World Cup was in 1950. As the story goes, the players pulled out of the competition because they weren’t allowed to play barefoot. Now, with the tournament going on in Brazil and to see a fair share of Indian fans supporting other countries, donning jerseys of different nations, evokes variety of emotions. Most of us know the reasons why we have failed to produce world class football players. For those who don’t (I don’t think you are interested in knowing anyways). Still, these are some of the very basic reasons:   Poor infrastructure  – Just look at India football stadiums. It lacks basic amenities. Grounds ...