Indian football needs everyday engagement, not just a four-year World Cup carnival, says Shaji Prabhakaran
Former AIFF general secretary Shaji Prabhakaran has called on India to convert its temporary, quadrennial FIFA World Cup fanaticism into a sustained, year-round movement focusing on youth qualification, grassroots development, and robust institutional governance for domestic football
New Delhi: Former All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Shaji Prabhakaran has urged India to transform its periodic FIFA World Cup enthusiasm into a sustained movement for domestic football development, arguing that the country must celebrate the sport year-round rather than strictly during the quadrennial global tournament.
Writing in a column ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, Prabhakaran noted that while football’s popularity spikes dramatically in India every four years, the mainstream interest abruptly vanishes once the tournament concludes.
“Football must become part of everyday life in India rather than a four-year carnival. When football is celebrated 365 days a year, it becomes part of the country’s cultural bloodstream. That is the level of adoption India should seek,” Prabhakaran wrote on his personal blog.
He observed that during the World Cup cycle, television networks, print media, and social platforms are saturated with football analysis, with casual viewers frequently asking why India has yet to qualify for the world stage. However, that intense spotlight is glaringly absent when the Indian national team plays crucial qualifiers or when the domestic club ecosystem faces existential challenges.
“The FIFA World Cup motivates India to envision a new era for football in the country,” the 54-year-old former AIFF executive wrote. “Newspapers dedicate entire pages to the event, social media is flooded with analysis, television channels transform football into a national craze, and prominent figures from various sectors suddenly become enthusiastic commentators. During this brief window, India mirrors one of the world’s great football cultures.”
“However, beneath this spectacle lies an uncomfortable truth: much of this enthusiasm is temporary,” he added. “The same individuals who fervently question why India is not part of the World Cup often remain silent when the Indian national team plays important matches, when local clubs face survival challenges, and when the sport requires consistent, grassroots support.”
Prabhakaran highlighted the qualification of historically smaller footballing nations, such as Cape Verde and Curaçao, for the newly expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup 2026 as concrete evidence that international success is dictated by administrative governance and structural planning rather than gross population size.
“Football success is not solely determined by population size. Vision, structure, coaching, scouting, development pathways, administrative competence, governance standards, and long-term execution are far more significant,” he explained. “Smaller nations qualify by systematically aligning talent with long-term strategy. India cannot continue using its size as a comfort zone while ignoring the systems that transform raw passion into performance.”
To bridge this gap, Prabhakaran insisted that India prioritize grassroots infrastructure, formalized coaching pathways, stable domestic competitions, sports science, and transparent institutional governance. Crucially, he noted that qualifying for major youth tournaments must become a non-negotiable national objective.
“If India wants to compete seriously on the global stage in the coming decade, then qualifying consistently for major youth tournaments must become a core national target. The men’s and women’s U-17 national teams should be developed with the specific, well-funded ambition of reaching future FIFA U-17 World Cups,” he wrote.
Concluding his column, the former general secretary urged Indian fans to view the imminent kick-off of the FIFA World Cup 2026 not just as an entertainment product, but as a catalyst to construct a functional domestic football ecosystem.
“The World Cup can be the spark, but sparks do not sustain themselves. They must be safeguarded, nourished, and transformed into a lasting flame. Let this tournament be more than just a celebration of other nations. Let it mark the start of a stronger football culture in India—one that honors the national team, empowers young players, builds a robust fan base, and works tirelessly until the dream of seeing India on football’s biggest stage is no longer distant, but inevitable,” he concluded.