Legend has it that, our nation withdrew from the 1950 World Cup in Brazil because they were not allowed to play barefoot. But that's hogwash. Truth is, Indian officials decided to opt out of the tournament due to insufficient travel funds and because (at the time) they felt the Olympics were more important. But on October 6, 21 of our 'boys in blue' will create history by becoming the first Indian squad to participate in a FIFA World Cup tournament in the past 87 years.
Ray of hope
Under the watchful eye of coach Luis Norton de Matos, the youngsters fared well in their previous two international fixtures (with a draw against Chile and win against Mauritius). But our squad heavily leans on Abhijit Sarkar’s striking ability, Aniket Jadhav’s pace and trickery in the midfield, Komal Thatal’s precision-passing strengths, and Dheeraj Singh’s stellar goal-keeping skills. However, off the pitch, coach Matos is focused on creating a relaxed atmosphere for the youngsters. “Whenever I’m not training, I binge-watch inspirational TED videos or stalk my favourite German motocross racer, Ken Roczen. Occasionally, I do a bit of online shopping too, because I'm a sneakerhead,” shares attacking-midfielder Rahul Praveen.
Pitch invasion
But, it's undeniable that the road to this global sporting event has been a bumpy one. The controversial sacking of long-time coach Nicolai Adam (months before the big event); FIFA’s tiff with Kochi's venue authorities; and tournament director, Javier Ceppi's verbal argument with Assamese government officials as seen in a viral video, are just a few examples.
Notwithstanding the widespread speculation surrounding the extent of India’s gameplay quality—we haven’t won a single game played on home soil during the AIFF Youth cup, AFC U-16 and the BRICS cup—online encouragement and positive support surrounding the team is tremendous. So, be sure to #backtheblue.
From October 6-28.
Watch the FIFA U-17 World Cup live on Sony Ten 2
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Heavy hitters
Meet two of the ‘stars of tomorrow’ from around the world, who will be showcasing their skills at this year’s FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Josh Sargent
This Missouri native-who has previously trained with big clubs like PSV Eindhoven-may become USA’s primary goal-scorer.
Vinicius Junior
Already signed to Real Madrid for a whopping €45 million, this Brazilian teenager is a force to be reckoned with.
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anoop.p@newindianexpress.com
@godsonlymistake