Former AIFF gen secy’s no-nonsense guide to FIFA dreams
NEW DELHI, July 19: As billions of fans tune in for the highly anticipated FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, the former top official of Indian football says qualifying for the sport’s grandest stage is “not rocket science” for a nation of 1.4 billion people, provided the country drastically overhauls its current ecosystem.
In an exclusive interview with IANS, former All India Football Federation (AIFF) General Secretary Shaji Prabhakaran outlined a comprehensive blueprint to transform Indian football. He urged sports administrators to abandon the search for miracles and in-stead commit to transparent governance, aggressive grassroots expansion, and unified long-term planning.
Despite India’s massive population, surging sports interest, and deep passion for the game, the nation has never played in a FIFA World Cup. Prabhakaran rejected the notion that sporting success is strictly dictated by economic wealth or population metrics, pointing to overachieving smaller nations like Cape Verde and Curaçao as prime exam-ples of what a dedicated, singular vision can achieve.
“The truth is, we’re not working hard enough,” Prabhakaran told IANS. “We have every-thing, but success requires consistent effort, unity, and honesty. While we lack in many areas, these are simple challenges, not complex science.”
Prabhakaran’s remarks come as the newly expanded 48-team World Cup reaches its climax. He highlighted the tournament’s staggering global footprint, noting that the final is expected to attract nearly two billion viewers. Beyond cultural unity, he emphasized the tournament’s massive financial clout, citing reports that it has generated roughly $20 billion for the U.S. economy and an additional $20 billion globally.
Turning to the action on the pitch, Prabhakaran lauded Lionel Messi’s enduring influ-ence, dismissing social media scrutiny and allegations of bias surrounding the defend-ing champions as “more fiction than reality.” He labeled Messi the primary uniting ener-gy driving Argentina toward a potential second consecutive world title.
For India to replicate this level of global relevance by 2040, Prabhakaran stressed that the country must fix its lopsided football pyramid, which currently relies too heavily on top-tier professional leagues at the expense of local youth development. Because a true generational shift takes 12 to 15 years, he argued that immediate structural changes are necessary.
His proposed decade-long roadmap includes establishing elite academies, creating highly competitive youth leagues, and building strict age-group pipelines. Specifically, he recommended maintaining 10 to 12 elite teams per age bracket—nurturing about 2,000 top-tier players from the Under-17 level up to the senior squad.
Ultimately, Prabhakaran noted that unlocking critical government trust and corporate sponsorship requires absolute systemic accountability. “We need transparency so fans see how we are working, where the money comes from, and where it goes,” Prabhakaran told IANS, emphasising that football can ultimately serve as one of India’s greatest diplomatic tools. “By working harder and involving more organizations, India can reach the World Cup and make football a major soft power.” (IANS)
