Sport - Football

Overhaul domestic structure: Houghton

Mumbai: Bob Houghton, who resides in Goa and does not miss an opportunity to see a local football match at Margao, has been trying to impress upon the AIFF bosses and the coaches of national and state clubs the need for a thorough overhaul of the domestic structure.

“For me to move forward from here, I need to connect and coordinate with the whole of Indian football. The domestic structure has to be completely changed in order to get a strong and effective national team. We have made some progress in the last 14 months, winning the Nehru Cup and the qualifying for the Asian Cup. The under-16 team has been in Goa for 18 months and has done well in competitions which indicate that a well- organised team can compete in Asian competitions.”

Interacting with the newspersons in the city for the first time, Houghton said: “fundamentally the domestic structure has to change. Presently it’s confused and a combination of a massive number of tournaments that have evolved to become part of Indian football history.

“There are a number of tournaments, Durand Cup, Rovers Cup, Federation Cup. Santosh Trophy, the I-League and many more.

“India can keep all this tradition, but this cannot facilitate in building a strong national team for it to achieve excellence. There’s a way out.”

Houghton will be travelling to Kolkata, Goa and Punjab; he has already made a presentation to the coaches of the clubs here about the suggested domestic structure to the AIFF.

Houghton outlined a plan of action the Indian football teams — domestic and national — can follow for the next three years.

“When I landed in Mumbai, a local sponsor congratulated me for India’s qualification for the Asian Cup, but also asked me when I will get India with a massive population into the World Cup. Well, qualifying for the World Cup has nothing do with the population. The I-league shows that there are only 70 active football players in India.”

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