‘There’s scope to do better’

By Nabamita Mitra

It is not always that you get to meet a national level footballer in a local guest house. But here is Oinam Bembem Devi sitting on the neatly arranged bed of a guest house in Laban talking about how women’s football has been neglected in the country.
Bembem and her team, the Eastern Sporting Union (ESU) from Manipur, are in the city, which is hosting the Indian Women’s League for the first time this year. The other team from her state is KRYPHSA.
ESU, the defending champion, has not lost a match so far and ended a draw with KRYPHSA on April 4, the day of the Manipur derby.
The composed coach of ESU, while speaking to Sunday Shillong in her humble guest house room, says she is confident to lift the trophy again this time.
Bembem won 16 titles, including nine as the captain of her state team. She started playing when she was a toddler and made her national debut at the age of 15.
“I even played in the men’s team in Manipur as a child because I did not know much about women’s football back then,” she smiles as she reminisces the earlier years.
Bembem, who was credited with building a ‘unity in diversity’ in the Indian women’s team when she was the captain, says she was the most senior player and would not mind making small sacrifices. “Most of the players were young. When I gave suggestions or advices people would listen to me,” she says with an unusual humility.
Her leadership qualities could be perceived from her presence in the field when ESU is playing. Most of the time, she maintains her sangfroid when the opponent’s coach would shout instructions. She watches her players keenly and speaks only when necessary.
The ESU coach refuses to comment when asked about who will take her place from ESU. “All are good players and I do not discriminate,” is all the 38-year-old footballer says.
Over two decades of her career on the field, Bembem proved her mettle on all occasions. Her outstanding performance in the 1996 Asian Games, which was a year after her national debut, strengthened her position. She was awarded the Best Woman Footballer of the Year in the same year by the All Manipur Football Association.
She became the captain of the Indian team in 2003 and held the position for the next 13 years during which she won five titles in international tournaments.
Bembem has also played in Maldives and was crucial in winning two league titles for the country’s New Radiant SC in 2014 and 2015. She has worked as a brand ambassador for FIFA Live Your Goals, India.
Asked to comment on the Indian Super League, which has been planned in the lines of the Indian Premier League, Bembem points out that though it is a good platform to gain experience the overpowering presence of foreign players makes it difficult for young domestic players to get a foothold. At the same time, she admits that the game gets little limelight as compared to its rival cricket.
Talking about football in the North East, Bembem says there is no dearth of talent in the region, especially Manipur where frequent league matches are played.
“Also, there is government job incentive for players. Since our new chief minister (Biren Singh) was a sportsperson himself, he is taking initiatives in supporting young players. I am not sure what other northeastern states are doing,” she says when asked why the number of national level players from the region is less.
Meghalaya does not have any state league for women. However, the Meghalaya Football Association is planning to start a state league soon. “Every state should have several tournaments to prepare their players for the bigger arena,” Bembem suggests.
The Arjuna Award winning footballer emphasises that state governments should come up with initiatives to support not only big names in the game but also young talents who can make a name for themselves and their clubs in the course of time.

Challenges for women

Women’s football has so far been neglected in the country. The apathy of the monitoring body, the All India Football Federation, is apparent from the fixtures of the ongoing league where matches have been slotted as early as 8am, discouraging football lovers in the city to watch the game. Also, the league is not telecast in any of the sports channels, which is in stark contrast to the men’s leagues. A football fan, who ardently follows local matches, told Sunday Shillong that it was a “bad idea” to put a match so early as none would come to watch.
While men’s football sees investments, though not to the extent as cricket does, women’s football receives negligible attention of Corporate India. “Corporate houses should come forward to help build infrastructure. Or else, the going will get tougher,” says Tejesh Sharma, a liaison officer for ESU.
Bembem, who is often referred to as the ‘Durga of Indian football’, too points out the fallacies. “Facilities for women are really less. We have asked the federation several times to provide better facilities but every time it cites financial crunch. If the women and men footballers are treated at a level playing field, then the former will do better,” she rues.
The lack of facilities is despite the fact that the FIFA ranking of the women’s team is 59 whereas the men are at 99th position.
Bembem informs that there are no foreign coaches for women, a facility that men are entitled to. “There was once a short interaction with a coach from Germany last year,” says Sharma.
With dozens of footballers in most of the states coming from economically backward families in rural areas, external support becomes imperative for them to continue in the game. But long-term investment remains elusive and the reluctance of the authorities can be gauged from the condition the players are kept when they are on a tour.
Last year when Bembem became the second woman footballer to win the Arjuna Award, she had said during an interview that the award was for Indian Women’s Football. “I hope this award will help remove the mental block and inspire all girls in the society to take up the sport,” the former midfielder had added.
Though many girls are bending it like Bembem and preparing for a greater platform, the appalling state of women’s football is yet to be improved. Only time will show whether one Bembem can turn the game around for the fair sex or the country needs more struggling and talented players to script a different story.