Express News Service
India’s history with football is one of heartbreaking decline. Once regarded as one of the best footballing nations in the mid-20th century, India now sits uncomfortably in the 104th position as per the latest FIFA rankings. But all is not morbid in our modest footballing nation. In September 2022, India got to take part in the Socca World Cup 2022. Socca is mini-football played in a 6-a-side format, also called futsal in many countries. As the size of the field is smaller, the game is usually a lot faster, with all six players contributing in both attacking and defending. The matches start with kick-ins instead of throw-ins, with no off-side rules, and the goalkeeper regularly floats in during attacks. A quick 20-minute game broken into two halves.
The world cup took place in Budapest, Hungary, with 46 countries, including France, Italy, Brazil, and Belgium, participating in the quest for the Socca World Cup. India finished 5th in their group of 6 teams, and Brazil won the tournament, with Kazakhstan, Poland and Germany finishing second, third and fourth, respectively.
Representing India for the first time
In the Indian team that got to participate in the international tournament, four boys from Bengaluru – Ananth Ganesh (Canadian International School Bangalore), Adithya Buddhan (Delhi Public School, Bangalore South), Jonah Edward (Bishop Cottons), and Rajesh Paterson – were present. For most of them, this was the first time they represented their country in the sport.
“This is the first time I played for my country. I had previously played for all the divisions here in Karnataka. A, B, C, you name it, I’ve played it. I come from a family of footballers, so it is a matter of great pride for me to be the first person in my kin to play for the Indian team,” says Paterson, who plays as a goalkeeper and was the coach for the team as well alongside the primary coach, Raj Kiran, founder of the Indian Football Factory and an international football and futsal player. Outside of football,
Paterson is also a professional sprinter.
In one of the matches, these four boys got to play against Kazakhstan, which they won 1-0. Ganesh, who plays as a forward, scored the lone goal in the match. “It was my international goal, and scoring it in a world cup tournament is just as exciting as it sounds. In fact, after it happened, it took a while for me to completely sink in the fact that I scored for my country. Scoring that goal was not just for me and my team, but also for my family and the sacrifices they have made for my footballing career,” shares Ganesh, who plans to go to the UK or the US for further studies, to play football at an elite college level since those countries have scouting systems. Kazakhstan, the losing side in that match, were considered to be the surprise team in the tournament as they managed to surpass most other favourites to reach the finals against Brazil, one of the most reknowned footballing nations.
Challenges faced and lessons
learned Budhan, the only player among these four to have represented India at an international level before, feels their team needed a lot more training than what they got. “We needed training and a lot more exposure to the international game as our players lacked adequate experience for the global stage. More tournaments should be held for us so every player feels a lot more confident at such competitions,” says Budhan, who adds that in his opinion, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, Italy, England and France were the toughest teams in that world cup.
“We need more financial support from organisations and more opportunities to play football at a higher level. We have a good team here, but we are in dire need of more support, so that talented players from financially weaker sections of society can also live their dreams. Before the world cup, we also did not get a proper practice session. Some of our players, including me, fell sick before the tournament as well. So there were a lot of challenges to overcome,” adds Paterson who is also a Karnataka football referee.Representing one’s nation in any field comes with a large amount of pressure. Some might be battling nerves before they get to battle it out in the field.
Edward feels that once he was on the pitch, like the others in his team, the pressure subsided immensely. “Before the match, I found myself wondering what I would do. But I was prepared and looked back on my experiences before to calm myself down. I think the experience we gathered from this tournament would help us in the future. We need to focus more as a team now, and I’m certain we will come back stronger,” says Edward, who also plays as a goalkeeper and mentions that the German captain Manuel Neuer is his favourite player.
The Indian team had to face many talented teams, where players were a lot more physically daunting. So how did they manage to compete against ‘bigger’ players? The four players reiterate that they relied on speed, using creative tactics and playing a smart game to make sure that the difference in physicality didn’t end up costing them too much.
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