In the recently concluded SAFF
soccer tournament for South Asian countries held this time in Katmandu,
Nepal, on 11th of this month,
the war devastated country Afghanistan in the final defeated India by 2 – 0
goals. For a small country Afghanistan
devastated by wars and internal turmoil compared to big country India, it was
not a small victory.
In Afghanistan the
survival of human beings is in danger if an Afghani does not toe the line of
the warlords. There is no freedom there
for doing any activity. Even to play
soccer in the open field or in the stadium it is risky because of the Talebans
who plant bombs everywhere to kill even civilians.
Football stadiums are known
for public hangings by the Talebans during their rule a few years back thus
creating fear of such stadiums. Yet Afghanis created a history by overcoming
all the hurdles came on their way finally to win the South Asia’s glittering
soccer crown.
Because of poverty and fear of
their life, Afghani young footballers are playing suppressive soccer in their
land. In the absence of sophisticated
football grounds, Afghanis play soccer even in the fields and rough terrain
grounds; because of poverty, they play and practice even on bare feet without shoes.
In their football fields there are fewer
footballs but more Bombs and yet they play better football than the mighty
country India where there are sophisticated stadiums, huge amount of money for
the promotion of this game including services of foreign hired coaches while
Afghanistan lacks these facilities.
Inspite of so many deficiencies compared to
India, Afghanistan is higher than India in FIFA ratings which says Afganistan
is 6 rungs above India.
Even though Afghanistan is
backward having much smaller history of soccer, only about one hundred years
compared to India’s long history, half the number of their national team
members are playing in Germany and USA though not in A division but B while not
a single Indian footballer is fit to play even in the third division team of
England; being the best player in India, Baichung Bhuttia failed and for that matter he failed miserably
for a novitiate period in the third division in England.
Afghanis are very sturdy people
capable to withstand any climatic condition besides they are patriotic to their
country. Though they face difficulty in promoting their soccer yet their
government is very supportive of their soccer and soccer players while the Indian
government and officials are not.
When Afghanistan won the final by humiliating
India, their president Kharzai immediately sent a cable to their team in
Katmandu congratulating the team members.
Would our Sardarji and Mukerji bother to act thus if India had to
win? Never.
Moreover, one Afghani MP on behalf of the
government has promised to gift highly sophisticated apartment to each of the
members of the Afghani soccer team. Would any of the Indian MP’s acts
similarly? Never.
For this reason not only in soccer but in all
other sports besides Cricket, India is very backward and it will remain there
only unless there is a total overhaul in our sports administrators and their
archaic system.
Indian apex Sports Body is plagued
by the greed for power and illicit money by the “Chor” Kalmadis who want to overrule
the World Sports Body which is impossible. Kalmadis and other such rascals have
no patriotism for India, for them priority should go for their interest only and
not for the country’s. For them India
comes second while they first because they have no love for India and such disgraceful
and anti-national people are ruling India.
For this reason India is suffering from all evils and will suffer till
eternity.
I feel hurt that as a Goan who
was forcibly converted into Indian citizen by Bharat, is a part of this rotten India where all the
rotten citizens of India are blindly accepting the rotten leaders and rotten
system of India.
While concluding, I congratulate
Afghanistan and shower abundant praises on them for their victory against
India. May they have more and more such victories.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
