By Gary Marbaniang
The Chinese clubs have been creating quite a stir in the footballing world in recent months when they decided to flex their purchasing power muscles and went on a buying spree.And it is not just the players at the twilight of their careers that they were able to rope in; some players at the prime of their careers were also lured in by the riches on offer. These players were willing to forego the chances of testing their skills and winning trophies in some of the best football leagues in Europe and South America for a few million dollar bills more.Tevez,a former Manchester U0nited star became the highest earning footballer in the world when Shanghai Shenhua FC offered him a mind boggling 7,62,000 dollars a week and Oscar,a player at the prime of his career raised a few eyebrows when he chose to end his frustrating spell at Chelsea by moving to Shanghai SIPG FC in a deal that eclipsed what he earned at his former club.And rumblings about another Chelsea star moving to the same country almost threw the club authorities into a tizzy since this player has outperformed everyone at the club this season.Chelsea is a prime example of a football club that built its success on the ability to splurge on players after cash came flowing in following a takeover by a Russian Oil magnate. And as the saying goes,”What goes around comes around!”.
On the other hand, there is one in a million chances of players of the likes of Harry Kane or a Deli Alli falling into the trappings of wealth and being lured away to play in such cash abundance leagues. Tottenham Hotspur is a club that has built its success on solid ground.Most of the current crop of players are home grown players and these players have home grown club legends like Gary Linekar and Paul Gascoigne to look up to. So the pride of playing the game at the highest level for a club that they simply adore simply nullified the trappings of excessive wealth. And the wage structure at the club brings some sanity to an otherwise insane wage structure at some of the other rich clubs. The earnings of some of the top players at these clubs have gone through the roof in recent years.Deli Alli,one of the hottest football property in world football today earning 1/4th of what Wayne Rooney earns is a case in point.Football as a sport has managed to draw in the crowds even today since it is a sport that is built on peculiar rivalry.The rivalry between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur for example is as strong today as it was during the first time when Arsenal decided to switch grounds in 1913 and moved to Highbury,just four miles away from Tottenham’s White Hart Lane. And a few years later,fuel was added to the fire when there were serious allegations that Arsenal hijacking the voting process to gain promotion to the First Division ahead of Tottenham even though Tottenham felt that they deserved to be promoted based on the fact that Arsenal were actually not in the running for promotion.Such kind of intrigues and bitterness exist between different clubs in other top football leagues thereby making football the most watchable and most competitive sport in the world.
As a young boy growing up in a neighbourhood where we simply cherished the opportunity of playing any kind of sports, football and cricket were the two sports that were closest to our hearts. But the love for Football has remained while the love for Cricket has dissipated. Being an adolescent in the 1990’s and 2000’s, sports formed an integral part of our lives and we would try our hand at every sport but the only sport that can give you an adrenaline rush is football. Football is a sport that has permeated every nook and corner of the state and it is the only sport that is being played with much gusto by kids today in an age where video games and social media has taken the world by storm. Meghalaya is one of the few states in India where a football culture has been in existence for a long time. In years gone by, a Langsning FC – Wahingdoh FC rivalry is as fierce and intense a rivalry as a Mohan Bagan-East Bengal rivalry.I remember the times when my father used to take me to the mecca of top flight football in the city, the first division ground. Seeing the intense rivalry played out on the ground and feeling the passion of the supporters of the respective clubs is something that will remain with me for the rest of my life.
Football has always been a working class game and for many people it is a way of escape from the harsh realities of life.Top flight games in those days would always be played in front of packed stadiums and the intensity of the games in those days were fuelled further by a partisan and passionate group of supporters who will go to any length to ensure their team came out victorious at the end of the day.Who can forget all the verbal abuse and the chants of “mait beit” being hurled at players by supporters of opposing clubs as a way of venting the true passion they have for their respective clubs.Sad to say but that kind of rivalry and passion is almost absent from football in the state today. If the interest in football as a spectator sport is to be renewed, then renewal of such kind of footballing rivalry is a must and new rivalries must also be formed.This would also create employment opportunities for thousands of our youths.
As the football culture is already present in the entire state, new football rivalries can be created by forming a state wide football league involving all the top teams from all the districts in the state.Infrastructure in sports facilities is lacking and this has hindered the development of the skills of many talented footballers. It would bode well for the skill development of talented footballers in the state if much needed funds are diverted to the construction of world class stadiums in every district headquarter.This would also make feasible the idea of starting a state football league and the top teams from each district can play at their respective district headquarters. For example a team from West Jaintia hills can play their home games at Jowai and a team from West Khasi Hills can play their home games at Mairang or Nongstoin. And a round robin league of away and home matches can be played thereby creating a positive vibe and rivalry between the teams.There is no doubt that footballing talent is waiting with bated breath in all corners of the state ready to be polished like diamonds.
When I was in Delhi in 2011, I had the opportunity to witness the boys from O.M Memorial School, Mawlai playing in the Subroto Cup. A certain player by the name of Chesterpaul Lyngdoh impressed everyone with his blistering pace and neat skills. It’s like everyone knew back then that the boy is going to go places.You don’t need a football scout to discover talent.They just need a platform to show their abilities so that the whole world can see them. Most talent goes abegging since most players become frustrated with the lack of opportunities so they finally give up on their dreams and most of us don’t have the will power to be persistent enough to make it to the top.We need to change our mindsets if anything good is going to come out of us.
Football is a game of economic opportunities and it is the only equitable sport in terms of economic opportunities.Few Indian players have defied stereotypes and broken new grounds by playing in some of the best leagues in the world. Baichung Bhutia started it all; Sunil Chettri took it to the next level and a young Indian player by the name of Ishant Pandita created history last year when he joined La Liga club, Leganes. Let’s hope that in the foreseeable future, a player from the North East preferably from Meghalaya does a notch better by playing for an English premier league giant like Liverpool or maybe the ultimate football club, FC Barcelona!.As the saying goes,”Shoot for the moon even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars”.