Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
New Delhi, October 14
Goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh was inconsolable, midfielder Sanjeev Stalin lay flat on the ground with his face covered, and skipper Amarjit Singh Kiyam could be seen comforting defender Rahul KP, who had tears in his eyes.
The disappointment was writ large on the faces of the Indian players after they were handed a cruel reality check by two-time champions Ghana in their crunch FIFA Under-17 World Cup match. India’s coach Luis Norton de Matos did his best to cheer up the boys, reminding them about the historic first they have achieved by representing the country in a FIFA tournament. But the players were literally crestfallen.
Sensing the sombre mood in the camp, Matos regrouped the boys at the centre of the field, got them to hold hands and took them to the far end of the East-level stand of the JLN stadium, where thousands of home supporters were still cheering the team with the chants of “well played”, “we are proud of you boys” and “you are the future stars”.
Seeing the unwavering enthusiasm of the home fans, the smiles returned to the faces of the players. The boys congratulated each other for their spirited performance in the tournament and even obliged some young fans with selfies and autographs.
Big effort
There’s no denying the fact that the pain of not registering a single win would hurt the boys for some time. But, deep inside their hearts, they must be feeling really proud of their lion-hearted effort in their three games in the tournament. They were never expected to advance to the Round of 16 when the draws were announced in July, but the way they fought against far superior sides like Colombia and USA, they proved the team deserved to be part of this elite tournament. More top-level tournaments and exposure trips in the years to come can turn this side into a highly-competitive unit.
“It’s important that everybody learns that the process of football in India needs to start with four, five and six-year-olds in all the schools,” Matos said.
“Right now, you cannot expect these boys to win against teams like Ghana or Colombia. This generation is a fantastic generation for the future, but all the things this country must do with the grassroots is needed (to be done) to have results. Here in India, we’ve started the process. It’s important that this process continues,” the 63-year-old Portuguese coach added.
Positives
There are a lot of positives for these boys to take home. Firstly, they gained an invaluable experience of playing in a FIFA World Cup and got the opportunity to rub shoulders with the world’s best U-17 teams. Then, the boys were better able to actually understand match situations, learning how the top teams create goal-scoring chances, exploit defensive lapses, mark the players and clear the midfield with precise passing, among other things.
Before last night’s loss to Ghana, which was a proper drubbing, the Indian team was brilliant in the midfield, and good at guarding its own citadel during the games against the USA and Colombia.
“There a lot of positives to take back from the WC. We are a youth team and there are other tournaments in the future which we intend to play, including the Senior World Cup,” said Stalin.
Kiyam, who provided the fodder to the forward-line with some good assists, said the endeavour of the team would be to keep improving as it goes forward.
“I think Indian football is improving, so the only way is up. Now that more people are watching football and taking an active interest in football, it’s something that can only help Indian football in the middle to long term,” Kiyam told FIFA’s website. “The time we’ve all had playing together in India was a great experience. The support that the entire team got from the people is something I will remember throughout my life, that I won’t forget,” he added.
Jeakson Singh, who created history by becoming the first Indian ever to score a goal (against Colombia) in a FIFA tournament, said: “Just to experience this one week, we prepared tirelessly for three years, away from our families and dear ones. So, this experience is invaluable. The effort would be to build on from this experience. AIFF has included us as a developmental team in the I-League, which is good.”
India results
Lost to USA 3-0
Lost to Colombia 2-1
Lost to Ghana 4-0
