Opinion: Indian Football Needs To Take A Deep Look At Itself

After several requests, Juan delves into India's elimination from World Cup qualification after losing to Qatar 2-1. Who's to blame and why is it that India does not progress in Asia as they strive to get closer to their ultimate goal.

We'll also explore the broader implications of India's exit from World Cup qualification and what the future holds for the team and its passionate supporters.

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[FootballPakistan]

Great video Juan. Not from India myself, but certainly have an eye on the game as they are our neighbors. Have a few points to make, so I hope you given them a read.

Here's the thing, the main reason why many Indian fans are angry was NOT because they were going to qualify for the World Cup proper, but because getting that scrappy result would have ensured the team reach Round 3 stage of qualifiers for the first time in their history (as well as direct qualification for the 2027 Asian Cup).

Round 3 would have guaranteed India 10 competitive games in 2024-25 against five of among the best sides in Asia - depending on the group draws of course (3 groups of 6 teams each!). The experience would have been remarkable, even though the results would have been largely defeats for India, but a country trying to stake a claim in Asian football would give an arm and a leg for that! (just ask us Pakistani football fans).

The experience of a Round Three appearance India would have surely been used to prepare for the Asian Cup in 2027, potentially giving new players a chance to get used to international football, as well as planning on how best to tackle the 2030 WCQs when they are likely to begin in mid-2027 anyway.

Instead, India now has to play separate Asian Cup qualifiers in 2025 (6 guaranteed matches sure, but against a lot of low-mid ranked sides in 6 groups of 4 teams, with only the group winner of these Asian Cup qualification groups reaches the Asian Cup proper in 2027). Gaining the experience was the real desire for many in Indian football to get to that stage, and honestly they should have done better against Kuwait and Afghanistan, but their overreliance on aged Sunil Chhetri and not being able to score from open play costed them dearly.

Also, even if the goal was not given, Qatar would have been relentless in getting the equalizer and the winner in that match to avoid embarrassment of losing at home at the end of their own Round Two campaign. Hope to hear your thoughts!

[TrueTributes]

This was super well stated, another excellent take!