The “Sleeping Giant Syndrome” has long been associated with Indian football. Both FIFA and AFC has time and again proclaimed that India is the sleeping giant of world football. But was this syndrome always associated with Indian football? Or it was a heavy weight which has gone down with changing time? When will the sleeping giant wake from its sleep? Why most of the Indians are negative or know very less about Indian football? There are lot of questions. To unravel the questions and seeking an answer, first delve into the history of football in India.

CHAPTER I – HISTORY

It all started in the year 1877, when a young Bengali boy Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikary became the first Indian to kick a football. Though the fact might be debatable historically but it cannot be hide the fact that it was a very important moment in the history of Indian football. It started a chain reaction where Indians were introduced to the beautiful game.

It can be presumed football came to India with the East India Company. Before 1877 it was only the British who played the game in India. One of the earliest football matches organised and recorded in India was played in 1854 between “Calcutta Club of Civilians” Vs “Gentlemen of Barrackpore” in Calcutta. “Dalhousie Club” was established in 1878 and is acknowledged as the oldest football club in India. As the football revolution was gripping Calcutta the same fever was gripping the northern part of India too. Thanks to the public schools and missionary enterprise. In western India also football was gaining ground. But it took some time to gain popularity. Rovers cup was inaugurated in 1891. But as football gained promotion among Indians the English kept them at bay due to the colonial status.

The chain reaction started by Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikary soon culminated into formation of various clubs in and around Calcutta. Presidency, Wellington and Howrah Sporting being foremost of them.  Sovabazar Club was founded in 1887 by none other than Nagendra Prasad himself. In 1889 Mohun Bagan was established. Another club founded in this period was Mohammadan Sporting. It was the culmination of efforts of a few educated Muslim youth.

The first open football tournament in India was the Trades Cup started in 1889 in Calcutta. Sovabazar Club was the first Indian team to take part in the tournament. But it was not until 1892 that India tasted its first victory against the British, when Sovabazar defeated East Surrey Regiment 2-1 in Trades Cup. Soon the tournament became popular along with growing interest in the sport. So to control and coordinate the game the Indian Football Association (IFA) was formed in 1892. Soon after the formation of the IFA a new tournament started in 1893 as IFA Shield. It gained importance as the premier football tournament. Meanwhile the football prowess of Indian teams was on upside. National Association became the first Indian team to win the Trades Cup in1900.

Finally on 29^th July 1911, the most historic day not only for Indian football but for Indian sports and Indian freedom struggle, eleven Bengalis representing Mohun Bagan defeated East Yorkshire Regiment 2-1 in the final of IFA Shield tournament. Ten players of Mohun Bagan were playing barefoot against booted East Yorkshire. All the Indian teams in those days played bare footed and displayed dazzling football. The win was not only important as a football match but it was also seen as a major morale boosting political win over the British. The fine run of Mohun Bagan continued and they came close to winning the Calcutta league a number of times. Mohun Bagan was the first Indian team to participate in Rovers Cup via an invitation and ended as runners up. It also reached the semi final of Durand Cup in 1926.

In August 1920 East Bengal Club was founded as an answer to the systematic discrimination of players originally from East Bengal (present Bangladesh) by the “Bhadroloks” of West Bengal. With its growth they also challenged the British in their own game. They became runners up to the Calcutta league four times in 1930’s.

But it was none other than Mohammadan Sporting which finally broke the British domination in the game. It not only broke the domination locally but nationally as well. It became the first Indian team to win Calcutta league consecutively five times from 1934 to 1938. It also achieved a rare double in 1936 when it won the IFA shield also. It again won the league twice in 1940 and 1941. Apart from the league win in 1940 it also won the Durand and Rovers Cup. A feat never achieved before. The success of Mohammadan Sporting can be attributed to C A Aziz. He can be easily termed as one of the best sports administrators of India but hardly finds a mention anywhere. Aziz was a visionary. He recruited players from all over India. He recruited players from United Province, Delhi, Quetta and gained mostly from Bangalore. Another major tactical decision which Aziz took was of wearing boots. As mentioned earlier all Indian teams were playing bare foot. They were skill wise matching their opponents and even gaining ground on them. But that was all dependent on weather. On a bright sunny day, they dished out brilliant football but on a rainy day they were beaten even by inferior sides. So Aziz, after learning from his experience, ordered softer and lighter boots than the regular ones to curb any resistance from players. On a normal day Mohammadan will play bare foot and start using boots on rainy day.

A player worth mentioning here is Mohammed Salim. A forgotten chapter of the Indian football history. He was instrumental in the success of Mohammadan Sporting.  He has the distinction of been the first Indian football player to play in Europe. For a very short period he played for the Scottish side Celtic FC bare footed. After coming terms to his bare footed skills, he was included in the playing XI of Celtic and played a phenomenal role. Such was his talent on display that Scottish daily express carried a headline “Indian Juggler-New Style”. Celtic offered him an extended stay for the 1937-38 season. He was also offered professional contract to play in Germany. But he refused and returned to India to play for Mohammadan Sporting.

Football was already a popular spectator sport in Bengal. The other regions of India lagged behind a little in developing the love for the beautiful game. As mentioned earlier Rovers Cup already started in 1891 in Bombay. In 1911 the Western India Football Association (WIFA) was formed. In the southern part of India football was also promoted systematically. Mysore Football Association was formed in 1908 followed by Madras Football Association in 1934and Hyderabad Football Association in 1939-40. The Rajputana Football Association was established in 1934. The culminating effect of all the association was formation of All India Football Association (AIFF) in 1937. By the time of the formation of AIFF, Bengal football was at its pinnacle With Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammadan Sporting ruling the roost. The first serious challenge to the supremacy of Bengal based teams was from Bangalore Muslims. It became the first Indian club to win the Rovers cup in 1937. Bombay did well on the national scene post independence. Hyderabad emerged as a strong contender to unseat Bengal heavy weights. Hyderabad Police was one such team. Slowly rise other states like Kerala, Punjab, Goa came up rapidly. Clubs based out of this states fared well on the national scene. In the 1940’s Indian teams such as Mohun Bagan, Mohammadan Sporting East Bengal, Hyderabad Police, Bangalore Muslims, Aryan and B.N.R dominated the domestic football scene.

Till the time of Independence the concept of football in India was all about club and provincial competitions, despite the fact that All India Football Association was established in 1937. The concept of a national team was absent. There were some international tour organized like for Australia, Burma, South Africa and visit of the Olympic bound Chinese national team in 1936. All these tours proved that India was lagging behind the international standards. But no one took notice of that and the people were happy that the Indian clubs were defeating the British. The lacunas plaguing Indian football at that point of time were many. Duration of matches were less than international standards. As a fall out there was no focus on stamina building, fitness and endurance. Also there was lot of regionalism involved in the organisational level. One major factor as highlighted before was insistence on playing barefoot, even in international matches. All these factors combined and threw serious questions but everyone turned a blind eye.

In the next chapter we will trace the growth of Indian football in International arena post Independence.