If the Indian youth remains an ardent fan of football forever but reluctant to take up the sport, blame it on the poor pitches ufffdthat's India skipper Baichung Bhutia's damning verdict
If the Indian youth remains an ardent fan of football forever but reluctant to take up the sport, blame it on the poor pitches ufffd that's India skipper Baichung Bhutia's damning verdict.
Blaming poor quality of infrastructure for the miserable state of Indian football, Bhutia on Friday said that quality grounds were essential to luring youngsters.
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| India skipper Baichung Bhutia |
"Indian youth watch and follow European leagues. It's clear that they love football but they should be playing the sport more. And we don't have good grounds for that," Bhutia, co-owner of second division side United Sikkim Football Club, told Sunday MiD DAY.
"There aren't enough football stadiums in the country. And the quality of the existing stadiums isn't up to the mark."
The Indian captain was in the city to launch the Indian Football Development Society along with Oscar-winning sound editor Resul Pookutty.
Bhutia explained that Indian football could compete with lucrative European leagues for television viewership but the bad playing conditions were an impediment.
"Poor pitches affect the game and the quality of football drops. A good pitch ensures a good quality game and people want to watch good quality football," Bhutia said.
"Even if teams like Arsenal and Real Madrid are made to play on a bad ground, their quality will reduce immensely.
"That's why people prefer to watch the English Premier League on TV rather than Indian football," added Bhutia.
Bhutia believed the football loving youth of India deserve better.
"We need to back talented players and the least we can do is give them good infrastructure. Who knows, one of them can become the next Cristiano Ronaldo!"
IFDS's objective is to ensure India's participates in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and acquires the hosting rights for the 2026 edition.
