Novy Kapadia is among India’s best football writers and commentators. His latest book, ‘Barefoot to Boots: The Many Lives of Indian football’, tracks the game’s spread and proudest moments. He talks to Avijit Ghosh about the current state of Indian football:

India U-17 football team’s performance in the ongoing World Cup has been appreciated. What is the biggest takeaway?

The team’s biggest takeaway is the confidence gained by competing against quality teams. It was creditable that they kept their shape, stayed well organised and restricted scoring chances of opponents. Fitness level was exceptional. Above all, they got people interested in football and media coverage was extensive.

Goalkeeper Dheeraj Moirangthem of Manipur was the find of the tournament. His shot stopping ability, positioning and awareness has been appreciated by many experts. Defender Anwar Ali of Punjab showed good positional sense. He was commanding in aerial duels and a hard tackler. Defender Jitendra Singh of Bengal was quick, agile and a tenacious man marker.

However there are still discernible shortcomings. Finishing was poor and passing in the attacking third was either inaccurate or predictable. A team that has trained together for two and a half years and visited 18 countries for over 100 practice matches should have been more assertive and shown better understanding.

India’s senior team coach Stephen Constantine was quoted as saying, “This has got to be one of the best teams in Indian football, if not the best.” Do you agree?

Constantine has developed a settled squad (senior team) after giving chances to about 35 newcomers. It is unbeaten in 2017 having won six games on the trot, so some hyperbole is justified. It may be one of the fittest ever Indian teams but certainly not the best. The six victories have been against second tier Asian nations. For me the best Indian team played in the 1962 Asian Games and the 1960 Rome Olympics.

There is talk of teams such as Mohun Bagan and East Bengal joining the Indian Super League. What’s your view?

Ultimately one league has to prevail. Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are India’s legacy clubs, with a massive fan base and committed supporters. These two historic clubs have to be adjusted in any future league. Instead of starting a new franchise it would have been better if Tatas had been requested to sponsor either Mohun Bagan or East Bengal. Both would have benefitted. Also, franchise fees must be reduced from Rs 15 crore annually to Rs 5 crore. Management of these historic clubs must get modernised and learn to cope with market forces. All India Football Federation has to play the role of an honest broker and ensure legacy clubs and new franchises co-exist. Unless more clubs field teams, there will be no progress.

Manipur has emerged as a major footballing state but traditional nurseries have declined. Why?

Manipur had eight players in India’s U-17 squad mainly because football is an avenue for upward social mobility. Manipur Football Association organises some local youth leagues but not for a long duration. Players from this state emerge as they have role models to emulate. Also over the years players from Manipur have developed due to the efforts of Tata Football Academy and now Minerva Football Academy and Chandigarh Football Academy. The Air India team under Bimal Ghosh also regularly hired players from Manipur. So a series of factors has led to Manipur doing well.

The top football state is now Mizoram, which has a fully televised local league and proper youth development programmes. Aizawl FC won the 10th I-League with a budget of just Rs 2.5 crore, one fifth of Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Bengaluru FC. Most Indian clubs now have players from Mizoram.

Closing down of Dempo, Salgaocar and Sporting Clube de Goa has led to a decline of interest in football in Goa. Similarly in Punjab, when JCT closed down in 2011 and earlier BSF, Punjab Police and PSEB stopped fielding competitive teams, opportunities for players declined and hence the lack of interest. Rising costs led to the decline of local clubs in Bengal, like Aryans and Kidderpore, which produced young players. The famous Kolkata clubs pay only lip service to youth development.

Is AIFF doing enough to promote grassroots football in the country?

AIFF has made several innovative plans but lacks the will to implement these. Only Mizoram, and to some extent Bengal and Goa, have a proper structured system to nurture and develop talent, providing organised leagues for youngsters. From quantity comes quality. The only way forward is to spread the game. If the game remains confined to a few states, Indian football will remain stagnant.