In the 90s, it was a sport that was followed sporadically – every four years only, during the World Cup, with few games shown on TV. At best, it had everyone hooked for a month with Brazil and Argentina dividing opinions on who will take home the trophy. Fast forward to the next century and wider availability of the sport, and we see TV channels tussle with each other for space late in the night when European leagues are broadcast live. Even if it is the wee hours of the night, fans across the country tune in to watch their favourite clubs – situated thousands of kilometres away – play for three points.

This rise of football is helped by the marketability of the sport and by the availability of literature on the sport itself. Fans understand clubs, try to get more knowledgeable by reading biographies of players and managers, and even delve into the intricacies of football, courtesy of books like Inverting the Pyramid by Jonathan Wilson. Books like The Illustrated History Of Football World Cup also prove extremely resourceful during the extravaganza.

Much closer home, one of India’s most renowned sports journalists and authors, Novy Kapadia captures many interesting anecdotes and facts about the Jules Rime Trophy in The Football Fanatic’s Essential Guide: 2018 World Cup Special. In the book, Kapadia sheds light on the infamous moment in Indian football history when the team had the opportunity to play alongside Paraguay, Italy, and Sweden in the group stages of the 1950 World Cup but due to many unclear factors, did not make the sojourn to Brazil. While the popular myth remains that India wished to play barefoot, which was against FIFA rules, no one has offered any clear explanation for it. Some of the factors, Kapadia notes, could be, “AIFF (Indian football association) procrastinated and let this opportunity slip by”, or because they did not favour the World Cup over events such as the Olympics or Asian Games.

The decision to not participate in the 1950 World Cup becomes even more startling given Brazil was willing to bear most of India’s expenses. The South Americans were “keen to have a team from the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru,” notes Kapadia. The ramifications of not turning up for Pool III fixtures were dire. FIFA, the world footballing body, angry at the late pullout, refused to accept India’s entry to the 1954 World Cup and the impasse continued till the 80s. In hindsight, had India made that journey, maybe the game would have made early inroads into a newly independent country. As the late Sailen Manna, likely captain for the 1950 side, stated: “Indian football would have been on a different level had we made that journey.”