As one of the very few Indian footballers who have managed to ply their trade professionally in Europe, Bhaichung Bhutia knows how much the country lags in terms of development of the game. The ongoing World Cup, with tiny nations like Togo and Costa Rica punching far above their weight, has only highlighted the vast gap Indian football needs to fill.
The 37-year old Bhutia, who played for three years with Second Division English club FC Bury before sporadic appearances for Malaysian clubs, feels Indian players have to get out of the country if the sport has to develop. “There is no doubt about that. I think if India has to do well, we need to have players moving out, that’s for sure. I think at the moment there are players who can make it big, really young players who can succeed professionally outside, but they need to get that experience of playing outside India to develop as players,” Bhutia says.
The “Sikkimese Sniper” feels it’s not only the experience of playing away from home that matters. According to him, playing in a bigger professional league in Europe completes a player in every way. “It helps a lot, it makes you far more experienced, gives you a lot of psychological confidence, and the whole attitude of a player changes in such a scenario. When he returns home, such a player is more aware of his game and his challenges and it helps the game as well,” he says.
The owner of United Sikkim agrees he has also benefited as a club owner from his experiences. “There is hardly any corporate support so there are a lot of difficulties, but it helps in having a professional approach to running a team,” Bhutia says.
Apart from his professional forays abroad, Bhutia has also rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in modern football, including the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Clarence Seedorf, in charity matches. He believes India’s development can come from only long-term planning.
“We need to focus on the grassroots. When we talk of football in India, we generally only talk about the AIFF (All India Football Federation). But the people who can actually make a difference are the clubs and the state and district associations,” points out Bhutia. “The commitment at state and district levels is completely lacking, and players are not coming up because we can’t have clubs taking charge of the sport like in other places.”
