With the FIFA World Cup underway, the question of India's absence from the tournament has sparked debate. Indian national football team captain Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has pointed to the Asian Cup qualification miss as the bigger issue.
Sandhu's blunt reality check highlights the existential crisis plaguing Indian football. The top-tier Indian Super League is perennially in doubt, with clubs, corporate partners, and the AIFF unable to reach a long-term agreement.
The uncertainty has had knock-on effects at the club level, with many clubs ceasing operations and triggering force majeure clauses in player contracts. Talent development is structurally starved, and there is a desperate paucity of high-calibre licensed Indian coaches.
The All India Football Federation has announced its proposal to rename itself the Football Federation of Bharat, but structural grassroots development and stability around league football seem to be a lesser priority.
Chaos at the management level and a focus on short-term optics rather than long-term growth have been pernicious. If India, ranked 26th among Asian men's teams, cannot qualify for a 24-team continental tournament, then the 48-team World Cup is wishful thinking at best and delusion at worst.
