AFC Cup: How East Bengal can lift the mood around Indian football

There has been a lot of negativity around Indian football in recent times and it has only got worse in the last few days following the senior team’s failure to retain the SAFF Championship and the drop to 155th place in the FIFA Rankings.

As discussed by Sportskeeda earlier, India’s defeat to Afghanistan in the SAFF 2013 final isn’t really a major shock as the Afghans were ranked higher coming into the tournament and are a better side on paper due to the presence of their several foreign-based players.

But the common feeling is that India shouldn’t look for excuses for not winning the South Asian title as it’s the only international tournament which they have dominated historically. India’s defeat in this year’s final suggests a shift of power in the sub-continent and that has got the Indian football fraternity worried.

The reason behind dropping ten spots to 155 in the FIFA Rankings goes beyond the unconvincing displays at SAFF 2013 as it is also a result of fewer international matches and poor results over the last four years. But for a country of India’s size and population, sitting below the likes of Barbados, Nicaragua and Maldives is a disgrace for many.

To add insult to injury, when Sportskeeda went around Bangalore to get reaction about India’s SAFF 2013 final defeat to Afghanistan, the feedback was that most people weren’t even aware that India was in action and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that those same individuals would be easily able to tell who is leading the EPL table currently or name the most expensive signing of the last European transfer window.

Blame it on the lack of coverage from the mainstream media or the general attitude of football fans towards our own domestic game but there is no doubt that Indian football still isn’t a hit among the masses and such negative results doesn’t help the cause.

So is it all doom and gloom for Indian football now or is there hope? Well for starters, Kolkata club East Bengal can change the mood. The 93-year-old club takes on Indonesia’s Semen Padang in a two-legged AFC Cup quarter-final tie over the next nine days and progression to the semis will not only see them create history but also give Indian football fans something to cheer about.

Although teams from top Asian countries don’t compete in the AFC Cup, it still is the closest equivalent to the Europa League and Goan outfit Dempo remain the only Indian club to reach the semi-finals of that competition till date. They achieved that in 2008, so East Bengal have some history in sight and they have the backing of an enormous fanbase but in truth they are playing for much more than that.

From the football side of things, East Bengal have already made India proud in this season’s AFC Cup as they became the first Indian club to qualify for the knockout stage unbeaten, beating clubs from Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore (home and away).

The senior national team struggles to beat all those countries on the international stage and even lost to Myanmar in an AFC Challenge Cup qualifier earlier this year. East Bengal though thumped Myanmar domestic champions Yangon United 5-1 in the round of 16 to book their place in the last eight.

Of course, the foreigners make a huge difference to the club sides compared to the national team but still nothing can be taken away from East Bengal. The red-and-gold brigade created history by winning the ASEAN Cup ten years ago and now has the chance to not only match Dempo’s achievement but also restore fans’ faith in Indian football.

Can Marcos Falopa guide East Bengal to the semi-finals?

The task of beating Semen Padang is daunting considering they have had much better preparation as they are in the middle of their domestic season while East Bengal are still getting used to life without Trevor James Morgan with new Brazilian coach Marcos Falopa yet to have the same impact on the dressing room. Semen Padang also drew with Churchill Brothers in Pune despite playing without their foreigners and then outclassed the eventual I-League champions, who were understrength, 3-1 in Indonesia during the group stage.

However compared to West Asian clubs, East Bengal stands a much better chance against a South-East Asian team like Semen Padang so there will be optimism in the squad of beating the Indonesian champions over two legs.

After all the negative publicity that Indian football has gone through in the last few days, even a fighting display from East Bengal over the two legs will come as a relief while progression to the semi-finals could lift the mood completely.

So it’s time for the entire Indian football fraternity (maybe even the Mohun Bagan fans) to get behind East Bengal.