We have always very rightly been criticized for being partisan, and showing our true allegiance to cricket. In a country with 1.3 billion population, we have a tendency to align ourselves to a particular sport, in this case cricket - that no doubt has given us endless moments of pride, but has also sadly tempered with the development of other sports.

One can argue that we have achieved so much in the game of cricket, but we should also accept that a lot of investment, drive, and commitment, has gone into it.

There is another popular sport - football- that has promised much, but failed to deliver. The money, and as a result, growth - that cricket has had aplenty, has been amiss with football. One could even go on to say: cricket is everything football is not. Rightly so.

Football is the most popular sport in the world, while cricket takes that label in India.

It's beyond logic - if we can produce world class cricketers, and an equally good national team, why can't we get the best out of the football talent we have in the country. The questions linger. Why hasn't football seen a tremendous growth in India?

Why hasn't the talent transformed into something big? The answers can't be simple, and we only have ourselves to blame. We have produced footballers like Bhaichung Bhutia and Sunil Chhetri, who also happens to be the second most active goalscorer in the current era, next only to Cristiano Ronaldo. That should mean something.

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But these great players will tell you that football deserves an impetus at the grassroots level. There is a need to invest in the state of the art facility, there is a need to give the young talent the stage to set their talent alight, groom them, commit to them, and help the develop into winners.

Just a couple of days ago, a North African country, with population of 43 million, won a continental trophy. Algeria, it is. They won the African Cup of Nations, beating Senegal 1-0, in the final. We can't compare ourselves with them, and we are not going to.

Their best players play in the top European leagues. Riyad Mahrez, one familiar name to us all, plies his trade with Manchester City, the English champions. We shouldn't start looking beyond, but we sure can take a lesson or two. Algeria, with less population than our state of Karnataka, are winning at football, and it isn't hard to see why. A brilliant grassroots programme, that teaches kids for free, well developed facilities, experienced coaches, decent investment, and government support. That is all it takes.

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We have seen money pooled into commercial league, that is the Indian Super League. It was started with much fanfare, and was thought to be the perfect platform to relaunch Indian football. The leagues like these will only help when talent will come through. If you don't invest in developing youth, and giving them the facilities at a young age, you really can't expect to produce and see world class talent.

The Indian domestic football setup is suffering, and the lack of development is worrying. The football stadiums lack the standards expected of a top league, the basic amenities are compromised, and the crowds are vanishing. It is a sad state.

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We are dreaming of playing at the World Cup, but our own house isn't in order. It will take something extraordinarily amazing to qualify for the tournament in 2022.

It not that we aren't capable, it's just that we haven't learnt our lessons. The outcry has been there for decades, and the demand to revamp the footballing structure in the country has been a long impending demand, but little has moved.

Something has to change, our outlook towards football has to change. We have to be more serious about the game, the future of many kids depends on it. There needs to be an effort to change the fortunes of the game in our country. There has to be a vision - that must have it's fair share of investment.

The grassroots plan has to be there, a good one at that. The state of the art facilities should be of international standards. The domestic league needs a complete revamp. The government needs to have a positive effect on the game. It can all come to plan, but it needs a real good effort. The World Cup shouldn't be a dream for 1.3 billion people, and with so much talent, we should be there, competing.

If Algeria can, we can. Again, there has to be a change of psychology. Football deserves to be on the same pedestal as cricket.