The Hindu : Sport / Football : Concerted efforts need of the hour: Lakshmanan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 01, 2006

Sport

Sport - Football

Concerted efforts need of the hour: Lakshmanan

Staff Reporter

KANNUR: ``Football may be one of the most popular games in the country, but India is nowhere as far as international football is concerned and this situation calls for concerted efforts to develop soccer in the country.'' The present football scenario in the country could not have been more accurately expressed as the words came from one who had been involved in efforts to develop soccer in India. A member of the Appeal Committee of FIFA, P.P. Lakshmanan, who had served as honorary secretary of the All India Football Federation and president of the Kerala Football Association, was far from excited when he was about to leave for Germany for the World Cup beginning on June 9.

Stagnation point

Addressing a press meet here on Wednesday, Mr. Lakshmanan said that Indian football remained where it was several years ago, while many small nations have emerged as powers to reckon with in the international soccer. Neither football players nor administrators of football associations in the country could make a guess as to when the country could send a National team for the World Cup, he lamented.

Mr. Lakshmanan, who had conceived the idea of conducting NFL during his tenure as honorary secretary of the AIFF, was in favour of a change that would allow only professionals as football administrators in the country. Infrastructure for football development should be strengthened at school level itself, he said adding that shortage of funds was a major obstacle to what he called concerted initiatives for strengthening football in the country. The annual budget of the AIFF, for instance, was far less than the annual income of a player like Ronaldo, he said.

Mr. Lakshmanan also called for utilising quality international coaches to train players in the country. Players and the teams had to be developed, he said adding that football players should be identified and trained from a very young age. Asked about his suggestion to popularise and strengthen football in the country, Mr. Lakhsmanan said that he had been advocating the staging of tournaments in different parts of the country by involving teams that were not part of NFL.

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