Football in India: History
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Contents |
Victories: 2001-19: some memorable victories
Marcus Mergulhao, Sep 12, 2019: The Times of India
It’s only a point and keeps India fourth in a fiveteam group, yet the significance of the goalless draw against Qatar in a World Cup 2022 qualifier last night in Doha cannot be lost. To get a measure of what the Indian defence and goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu achieved, it’s important to look at what Qatar have done this year. They’ve looked invincible, bulldozing every opponent they faced in Asia and winning the Asian Cup 2019 with a 3-1 win against heavyweights Japan. They scored 19 goals in just seven matches and began their World Cup qualifiers with a 6-0 hammering of Afghanistan at home.
Against India, without captain Sunil Chhetri and two exhausted players – Ashique Kuruniyan and Brandon Fernandes – nobody gave them a chance, certainly not when three of the four defenders – Rahul Bheke, Adil Khan and Mandar Rao Desai – had played less than 20 international matches between them. “This point is great, but the work and effort my players put in is the best answer to those who criticised our fitness level and the best possible invitation for Indians to wake up. We are playing football now,” coach Igor Stimac told TOI long after he had celebrated with the team and returned to his hotel room.
Stimac had faced criticism after India surrendered a one goal advantage and lost 1-2 against Oman last week. India huffed and puffed towards the closing stages, yet Stimac clearly knew what he was doing. He opted for newbie Mandar – playing his first official competition -- at leftback in place of the established Subhashish Bose.
Even before he became the coach, Stimac had wondered why Adil was not part of the national set-up, while Bheke was persisted with despite criticism that he cannot replicate his club form for country. In midfield, Samad Abdul Sahal, Brandon Fernandes and Nikhil Poojary are Stimac’s discoveries for the national team, while it takes a brave man to handpick the young Manvir Singh – one goal in 19 matches, largely substitute, for FC Goa -- as a replacement for Chhetri upfront.
In fact, more than half of Stimac’s starting 11 against Qatar were not even among the 23 registered for the Asian Cup 2019 under former coach Stephen Constantine. “My players are on the right path. That’s what makes me most happy. We have a future in front of us. I am very proud of what they have done,” said Stimac.
At half time when India had managed to keep a clean slate despite the Qatar bombardment, home coach Felix Sanchez kept shaking his head in disbelief. A stone’s throw away, Stimac was preparing for the second-half. In the dressing room, the former Croatia coach spoke about being more disciplined when captain Hassan Al Haydoos and Abdel Aziz Hatem were making the runs. “They had nearly scored in the last few minutes of the first half. We knew we can handle the crosses and harm them on the counter. Rahul (Bheke) was asked to stay close to the captain and before receiving the ball, just watch and close down his right leg,” said Stimac.
The defenders hardly put a foot wrong and Gurpreet was impeccable, handing India a point they would cherish for a long time to come.
Details
MEMORABLE NIGHTS… 2001: India vs UAE, World Cup 2002 qualifier, Bengaluru
Jules Alberto Dias scored the all-important goal as India got the better of UAE, who were ranked 64 in the world and sixth in Asia.
2009: India vs Syria, Nehru Cup final, Delhi
Locked goalless till the 90th minute, Renedy Singh put India ahead only for Syria to equalise. In the tiebreaker, Subrata Paul saved three penalties as India won 6-5
2019: India vs Thailand, Asian Cup 2019, Abu Dhabi
India kickstarted their campaign with an exceptional 4-1 win against Thailand with captain Sunil Chhetri scoring a brace
In friendlies, India defeated Qatar 2-1 with 10 second-half substitutions in 2011 and held China and Oman goalless in 2018
Calcutta: Memories of the Maidan derby
Dwaipayan Datta, May 4, 2025: The Times of India
The British colonizers wanted Kolkata to be the London of the east, but in spirit, the Bengalis have always preferred Paris. From the musicality of the two languages to the celebration of avant-garde art, the cities do share a bond. When Satyajit Ray won the Legion de Honneur — the highest French national order of merit — in 1987, the standard feeling in Kolkata was ‘we’ll always have Paris’.
The cultural connect is on the wane. But now, there’s a football parallel between the cities as Paris FC won their promotion into the top tier of French football — Ligue 1. Parc des Princes, home to Paris St Germain, is merely 193m away from the new Paris FC ground, and the fans have already started calling it ‘the closest derby in the world’.
But then, Kolkata isn’t too far away. The East Bengal and Mohun Bagan grounds, located in the Maidan area, are just 800m away. But if you take a short cut, it is merely a five-minute walk.
The two giants don’t play the derby, when it involves senior men’s football, at their own grounds anymore. They prefer the Salt Lake Stadium — a la San Siro in Milan — because of security issues. The fact that Salt Lake Stadium can accommodate up to one lakh fans makes it financially viable for the clubs as well. But there was a time when the two teams played at each other’s grounds. There was, of course, the ‘neutral’ Eden Gardens, designated venue of the ‘big match’, but cricket always took precedence there. The famous 1975 IFA Shield final, where East Bengal beat Mohun Bagan 5-0, the biggest margin recorded between the two teams till date, was played at the Bagan ground. The hero of that afternoon, the late Subhas Bhowmick, would often recall how difficult it was to return to their home tent on that afternoon, with thousands of fans making it an occasion to remember.
Till the late 1980s, the two teams did play at each other’s homes on and off, especially in the Calcutta Football League. The hockey derby was played at East Bengal and Mohun Bagan grounds, but that’s also a thing of the past. Memories of the Maidan derby linger, and when PSG and Paris FC take the field for the ‘closest derby’, the old Maidan regular will take a trip down memory lane — once upon a time it was ours.
Coach Bhowmick’s best India’s XI in history
Subhas Bhowmick- (As told to Marcus Mergulhao), May 31, 2018: The Times of India
Indian football has, perhaps, seen more successful coaches. SA Rahim, Amal Dutta, PK Banerjee, even Armando Colaco could rank ahead of him, but nobody is quite like Subhas Bhowmick. His character, out-ofthe-box thinking and daredevil approach is just what an all-star team needs. “I’ll handle this team any day, anytime,” he says.
From: Subhas Bhowmick- (As told to Marcus Mergulhao), May 31, 2018: The Times of India
From: Subhas Bhowmick- (As told to Marcus Mergulhao), May 31, 2018: The Times of India
It’s never an easy task to handpick the best XI footballers that India has produced. There are so many greats, you do not know whom to include and whom to leave out. I would pick only those whom I have seen in the prime of their careers.
Peter Thangaraj would be the first name on the team-list. I’ve seen a wide range of superb goalkeepers — Sanat Shet, SS Narayanan, Bhaskar Ganguly, Tarun Bose. The list is endless, but to guard India’s goal, you cannot find a better goalkeeper than Thangaraj. He was like Lev Yashin, the legendary USSR goalkeeper. When he spread his hands, he looked like a full-fledged eagle in the sky. His ability to pick up players almost 40-45 metres away was also unmatched.
Sudhir Karmakar, at rightback, is India’s greatest ever, and you cannot look beyond him. At the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok, Fifa officials could not believe their eyes and wondered how a player of Sudhir’s ability was playing in India.
Arun Ghosh and Jarnail Singh are made for each other as India’s best central-defensive pairing. While Arun is technically very sound, Jarnail’s clearing and covering — not to forget fierce determination — made him an automatic choice. At left-back, there are several choices but none better than SK Azizuddin.
Yousuf Khan and Tulsidas Balaram would be my picks for central midfield. Picking Yousuf over Sudip Chatterjee is a tough call, but Yousuf is a complete footballer. I have seen him play stopper back for India, midfield and centre forward as well. Many would say Balaram was an attacker but he is another complete footballer. He could defend, and attack, and when the ball was at his feet, you couldn’t really figure out his next move.
PK Banerjee on the right wing and Chuni Goswami in the hole behind the lone striker are choices which I don’t even need to explain. And Sunil Chhetri is the lone player from the current generation who makes my best XI on the left wing. Surprised? Don’t be.
For the last 30-35 years, he is easily the best Indian footballer that I have seen. Since returning from Portugal and joining Churchill Brothers, where I was the technical director, there is an amazing transformation. His approach has changed. At 32, can you really tell the difference between Sunil and any foreign player? I am amazed. He is technically sound, blessed with speed, can score with both feet and is not found lacking with headers too.
IM Vijayan would walk into any India XI, and I had penciled him in first as the lone striker in this line-up.
But later, I went for Inder Singh. Inder could change the course of a match with a moment of brilliance and he gets my vote ahead of Vijayan and Bhaichung Bhutia.
This is one fierce team. A team that has stability, creativity and five players who can get you the goals which win matches.
Coach Igor Stimac’s era
Astrologers pick the team/ 2022
Mihir Vasavda, Sep 13, 2023: The Indian Express
Coach Stimac says football federation introduced astrologer Sharma; ex-official said Sharma was paid ‘Rs 12-15 lakh’.
“Hi dear friend, you can check charts for each player from the list for 11 June. Kick off time is at 20.30.”
ON June 9, 2022, 48 hours before India were scheduled to face Afghanistan in a crucial Asian Cup qualifier in Kolkata, national football team coach Igor Stimac sent this message to Bhupesh Sharma, an astrologer from Delhi NCR, who was introduced to him by a top All India Football Federation (AIFF) official, The Indian Express has learnt.
The “list” Stimac referred to had the names of the probable 11 for the game, a must-win for an out-of-form and injury-ridden India to remain in contention for the prestigious continental championship.
Within hours, the astrologer replied with his remarks against each name: “Good”; “can do very well. Needs to avoid over confidence”; “a below average day”; “a very good day for him but might get over aggressive”; “not recommended for the day”. An hour before kick-off on June 11, when India’s team for the match was declared, two established names whose stars weren’t favourable, according to the astrologer, did not make the cut.
This conversation wasn’t a one-off.
Indeed, there are close to 100 messages, purportedly exchanged between Stimac, a former Croatian international, and Sharma in May-June 2022. India played four matches during this period: a friendly against Jordan followed by three Asian Cup qualifiers against Cambodia, Afghanistan and Hong Kong.
Before each game, the messages show Stimac was in touch with Sharma. Not only do these messages put a question mark on the integrity of the Indian team’s selection process, they also raise issues of propriety — vital team information being shared with an “outsider” runs the risk of being misused.
The purported messages, reviewed by The Indian Express, reveal a telling pattern, all player names have been withheld to protect their identities:
- Before each match, Stimac sought inputs of the astrologer before finalising his team and shared injury updates as well as substitution strategies.
- In one early conversation, Stimac wrote: “Hi dear Bhupesh, it was a pleasure meeting you and discussing future work! I would kindly ask you to provide opinion on the following players.” He went on to share the date, time and place of birth of four players, three of whom represented India at the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
- Stimac passed on the list of 24 squad members, bearing similar details, before a friendly match against Jordan on May 28, 2022. After Sharma sent his recommendations, Stimac shared the fitness details of two players, expressing concerns about their injuries.
- In another conversation, astrologer Sharma told Stimac that it wasn’t an ‘ideal day or phase” for an attacking midfielder. Stimac then requested Sharma to compare this player’s stars with those of three other attackers. Sharma replied within minutes, with the player in question ranked third in his order of preference. That player did not start the game against Jordan and came on as a second-half substitute.
- After India’s defeat in that game on May 28, Stimac discussed individual performances of a few players, hinted at changing the squad for the Asian Cup qualifiers and commented that against a team like Jordan, “we can’t consider our physically weak players even if they are in great phase.”
Sharma agreed and replied: “We can’t fight race and body types in such kind of high energy games. And Indian history in football is pathetic. Even in cricket it took a century to reach where they are today.”
- For the Asian Cup qualifiers in Kolkata from June 8 to 14, the duo decided to meet and discuss “two days prior” to each game.
- Ahead of the first qualifying match against Cambodia on June 8, Stimac shared his preferred starting 11 along with a list of reserve players. He added that three players were “coming from injuries so we would like to save them for (the) second game”.
- On June 12, a day after the second game against Afghanistan, which India struggled to win 2-1, Sharma messaged Stimac: “Do let me know how close we were in this match player analysis as per charts when you get free.”
Stimac responded: “Everything was spot on, I will explain to you when we meet.” The following afternoon, Stimac and Sharma met to discuss India’s playing 11 for the match against Hong Kong. India won that game and qualified for the Asian Cup.
Astrologer Sharma did not respond to calls and messages. Praful Patel, who was the president of the AIFF at the time this exchange took place, told The Indian Express that he “was not aware or told” about the issue.
Then secretary-general of AIFF, Kushal Das, admitted he introduced Stimac to Sharma in May 2022.
“I met him at a meeting. He (Sharma) had worked for a lot of telecom companies and Bollywood personalities. What they presented was that astrological timings and the current phase of players can help motivate people into taking the right decisions,” Das told The Indian Express.
He added: “That time, I was worried if India would qualify for the Asian Cup and so was Igor, let me be very honest. It was not a comfortable situation. For me, the most important thing was that India should qualify. So I told him (Sharma) that I will put you in touch with the coach and if he likes it, he thinks your services can be utilised, he can get back to me. Igor was very convinced and they were in Kolkata throughout.”
When asked why he used the astrologer and acted on his advice, Stimac said: “Bhupesh was recommended to me and I was convinced (by others) that I have to check upon his possible effects in sports…No more than that. I requested another foreign assistant coach which was never even considered and was shocked to find out the size of Bhupesh’s contract…”
When asked about Sharma’s contract, Das said: “Since we used his professional services for two months, we paid him around Rs 12-15 lakh. That didn’t seem a huge amount since India qualified for the Asian Cup.”
Told about the exchange, Das said that he was not aware of the details of conversations between Stimac and Sharma. “In my 12 years with AIFF, I have never discussed team selections with the coach or anyone else,” Das said.
Incidentally, Patel’s tenure as the head of AIFF ended last year following a tumultuous period during which India was banned by FIFA due to governance issues. Das, who had been the secretary general for more than a decade, resigned at the same time, citing medical reasons.
Current AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey did not reply to a message seeking his response while general-secretary Shaji Prabhakaran, asked about the coach-astrologer chats, declined to comment.
These revelations come when the Indian team’s fortunes are on the upswing as it climbs into the top 100 of the world.
Incidentally, Stimac is embroiled in a tussle with the Indian Super League clubs, who have played hardball in releasing players for the national team for important international assignments, including the Asian Games starting next week.
Recently, the AIFF issued a show-cause notice to the coach following an interview with The Indian Express, where Stimac said, among other things, that he “didn’t come to India to lick a**es, and wasn’t afraid of telling the truth.”
Famous footballers who have played in India
I
Marcus Mergulhao, Football’s superstars in the backwaters, May 31, 2018: The Times of India
From: Marcus Mergulhao, Football’s superstars in the backwaters, May 31, 2018: The Times of India
India is famous as a land of vociferous, but displaced, football fans. While we swear allegiance to foreign clubs and watch with disbelief at each ageing star who lands on our shores, there was a time when the odd global legend would show up — complete with all his quirks — to give us a memory for all time
A World Cup winner landed in India with a personal photographer and physio, another one was involved in a nasty fist-fight with the rival coach and the most famous of them all couldn’t really hide his weakness for a cigarette, even in the dressing room.
Footballers of all shades have played in India. From those on the run, painters looking for an alternative profession and students have been welcomed by clubs in the past. But there have been some real winners too, those who proved themselves on the biggest stage of them all.
Convincing them wasn’t easy, though. Diego Forlan, the Uruguayan who won the Fifa Golden Ball as the outstanding player at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, wanted guaranteed access to a golf course before joining Mumbai City FC.
Another man who would go on to win top individual honours at a World Cup, however, arrived in India to prove himself. Remember Salvatore Schillaci? Goa had heard this name, and even seen him, much before he won the Golden Boot as the leading goal scorer at Italia 1990 and Golden Ball as the best player.
In 1984, Schillaci played at a 4,000-capacity stadium in Goa which was later razed down to make way for parking space. He was part of an Italian under-23 reserves, and never looked like the man who would surprise the world with his six goals in a World Cup six years later.
Then there was Paolo Maldini, who lazed around on the Calangute beach in North Goa, and attracted attention only when he visited a famous night club in the vicinity. “I took him to the night club and next day the Italian press reported that Maldini was enjoying in Goa rather than focus on his recuperation. He was here with his physio,” said Fabian Fernandes, a local panch and founder of Goa United Sports Club.
After his IFA Shield final visit in the 1980s, in 1993, Bobby Moore, England’s only World Cup winning captain of 1966, was once again convinced to be the chief guest, of all events, for an inter-Village football tournament in Goa. “He was disgusted with the football but sat through the match and gave away the prizes,” said one of the organisers.
The advent of the Indian Super League has opened the doors for superstars to consider India as an option at the fag end of their careers. Italian Alessandro del Piero received Rs 10.8 crore for a four-month stint with Delhi Dynamos that yielded just one goal in 10 matches. Del Piero, however, was undoubtedly a star, roaming around with a personal photographer, physio and a posse of bodyguards.
Most others had no airs about themselves and mingled freely with everyone. Arsenal legend Robert Pires went out of his way to make it comfortable for everyone at FC Goa, often driving for several kilometres to have lunch with his teammates. The Frenchman only lost his cool when he was involved in a fist-fight with Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) coach Antonio Habas and, when relegated to the bench, was involved in a war of words with his coach Zico, another legend of the game.
Top Brazilians have been here in plenty. Lucio, a World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002, can easily be counted among the humblest of footballers who helped his driver buy a luxury four-wheeler and start a business of his own.
His Brazil teammate and World Cup winner, Roberto Carlos, was famous for smoking wherever he could find some privacy, and, some players suspect, it included toilets in the dressing room.
Before the ISL, there were World Cuppers playing for in Indian clubs too. Iran’s Majid Bhiskar was the first among all, and then there was Nigerian striker Emeka Ezeugo, who was detained for unlawful possession of a firearm. The Nigerian is the only player to first have a career in India before playing at the World Cup.
Many have struggled, none more than Michael Rodriguez. The Costa Rican who was part of the national squad for the 2006 World Cup in Germany landed at United Sikkim FC – owned by Bhaichung Bhutia – and soon discovered life wasn’t going to be easy. “Nobody could understand Spanish in Sikkim, and he had no clue about English,” said a former teammate.
It was frustrating for Rodriguez but he soon found a way: sign language. He survived the entire season without speaking a word!
II
May 31, 2018: The Times of India
Diego Forlan
(Mumbai City): Golden Ball winner at the 2010 World Cup with five goals that took Uruguay to the semifinals, Forlan was the marquee player for Mumbai City FC in ISL 2016 and took them to the playoffs for the first time in three years.
Oliver Kahn
(Bayern Munich): Voted best player of the 2002 World Cup and three times world goalkeeper of the year, Oliver Kahn played his farewell game for Bayern Munich as the Bundesliga champions defeated Mohun Bagan 3-0 in 2008.
Thomas Mueller
(Bayern Munich): The German hero, who won the Golden Boot during the 2010 World Cup, has played twice in India, first with Bayern reserves at the IFA Shield in 2005 and then for Oliver Kahn’s Bayern farewell in 2008 and in Bhutia’s farewell game in 2012.
Gianluca Zambrotta
(Italy, 2006): Among the better coaches to grace the ISL, Zambrotta guided Dynamos to a place in the semifinals. His tactics and playermanagement saw Delhi play their best football and they were unlucky to lose against Blasters on penalties.
Alessandro Del Piero
(Italy, 2006): The most expensive player in Indian football, Del Piero never really lived up to his billing. Just one goal through Dynamos’ campaign in the ISL seemed poor returns for the Rs 10.8 crore that they invested in the Italian goal machine.
David Trezeguet
(France, 1998): David Trezeguet has scored more than 300 goals in his career but the French striker struggled to replicate the same form for FC Pune City. In the eight matches, he scored two goals, and warmed the bench for some matches.
Freddie Ljungberg
'(Sweden, Arsenal): Injury never really allowed him to excel as marquee player for Mumbai City FC but whenever he took the field, there were glimpses of the style that made him an Invincible and fan favourite at Highbury and Emirates.
Alessandro Nesta
(Italy, 2006): The elegant defender was preparing to play a legends match in Bangkok when he got a call from Materazzi to join him at Chennaiyin as a replacement for Stiven Mendoza. He spent less than a month in Chennai.
Laszlo Kiss
(Hungary): A blend of handsome looks and silky skills, Laszlo Kiss played for Hungary in the 1982 World Cup. Was the first substitute to score three goals in a World Cup match against El Savador. Played in the Nehru Cup in 1984.
Roger Milla
(Diamond Club): The Cameroon striker caught the world’s attention with his goal celebrations at Italia ’90. A few months later, he toured India and played a match for Diamond Club as part of Mohun Bagan’s centenary celebrations.
Jaipur
Union: The 1st football club in India
Arpit.Basu, July 17, 2026: The Times of India
At dawn in Jaipur’s Ramniwas Bagh, football still follows old rituals. Boots scrape damp grass. Boys argue about Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Elderly men watch from the shade, their memories reaching back before India’s independence.
In this historic public garden, Union Football Club still trains, still gathers, and still insists that Jaipur has a place in Indian football history that has never been properly acknowledged. Because, as members point out, theirs is India’s oldest football club. Union FC members say the club was inaugurated on Ram Navami day on April 9, 1889 — months before Mohun Bagan Sporting Club was founded in Kolkata. Yet, while Mohun Bagan became a national symbol, Union FC remained confined to local memory, its record scattered across old documents, civic files and oral histories.
For the club’s current custodians, recognition isn’t just about pride — it’s about survival. Jaipur’s district football league has stayed dormant for years, cutting local clubs off from structured competition and leaving young players without a clear path forward. Union FC wants the league revived, and with Jaipur’s 300th anniversary coming in 2027, it sees a chance to revive the city’s football story. “We need to resume the district football league as soon as possible so that we are back in the mainstream. We may not be as successful as Mohun Bagan, but history is history. The club still exists, and on paper, we are the oldest existing football club in India,” says Mahipal Swamy, the club’s 72-year-old secretary.
Nurtured In A Garden
Union FC’s story begins in Ramniwas Bagh, with a document dating back to 1909 — ‘Notes on Jaipur’ by one Lt Col HL Shower — stating that Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh had ordered the gardens built outside Jaipur’s Walled City in 1868. “These Ram Newas (sic) Public Gardens were begun in 1868... to provide employment for the poor of the city during the famine of that year. While one section is set apart for wild animals, there is an open-air gymnasium, a cricket ground and a place for football,” Shower writes.
That single reference has become central to Union FC’s case. It doesn’t by itself prove the club’s founding date, but it shows football had a place in Jaipur’s public life well before the sport took institutional shape in India. In the club’s telling, the gardens were the cradle of Jaipur football, and Union FC the organised form that eventually grew out of it.
“The foundation date of Union FC is widely known. Documents with Rajasthan HC, PWD and Jaipur Development Authority all mention the (April 1889) date,” says Gopal Krishna Telang, former footballer and journalist. Aug 15, 1889, is formally recognised as the day when Mohun Bagan was born. All India Football Federation recognises it as the country’s oldest existing club. Its identity became inseparable from Bengal’s sporting and nationalist memory — a history written, retold and preserved — while Jaipur’s football past has stayed largely invisible.
“Football history in Kolkata is well scripted. A club like Mohun Bagan is known to everyone. Perhaps, AIFF did not recognise the Jaipur club as its success at the state or national level is very lean,” said veteran sports historian Nirmal Nath, who described Mohun Bagan as “Bengal’s emotion”.
The Golden Years
Union FC’s competitive record, though, is not exactly meagre. The club took a severe blow when several talented players migrated to Pakistan at the time of Partition in 1947. But, members say, it recovered quickly. “It was really a painful period for the club when many good footballers left for Pakistan after Partition. But we came back strongly and, in the next two decades, witnessed our golden period,” says Swamy.
One of Union FC’s proudest moments came in 1950 at the Rajputana Ramchandra Rao Railway Football meet, when it entered two teams and both reached the final — one champion, the other runner-up. From 1947 to the mid-1980s, Union FC was a steady force in Rajasthan football. It hosted the All-India Sardar Patel tournament between 1958 and 1969 and its footballers represented Rajasthan in Santosh Trophy.
Pradeep Singh Raghuvanshi, who represented Rajasthan in Santosh Trophy, says nearly a dozen Union FC footballers went on to play state football. “Among them was Magan Singh Rajvi, former India captain who represented the country twice at Asian Games.”
Lost In The Wild
Today, Union FC has 50-60 registered players across senior and U-18 squads who compete in tournaments hosted by clubs and institutions across Rajasthan and neighbouring states. The club also fields a women’s team. But its competitive identity is caught in an administrative deadlock. Jaipur’s district football association has been mired in disputes for years, and the district league hasn’t been held since 2008.
Subrata Dutta, former AIFF senior vicepresident, says a team cannot be recognised as a football club unless it is registered with AIFF, or with a state or district body that’s affiliated to the federation. “The club must secure affiliation from Rajasthan Football Association (RFA) and submit valid documents through the recognised state body,” Dutta says.
Dileep Singh Shekhawat, former footballer and secretary of RFA, says Union FC can’t rest on documents alone. “Even if Union FC has valid papers, its claims can’t be placed as the club is not playing any AIFF-recognised tournament,” he says. Shekhawat — also the nephew of Rajvi — says that because the district body has been defunct since 2008-09, Rajasthan Football Association allows Jaipur clubs to register directly. “Union FC has not taken that route,” he claims. But Swamy counters that “RFA cannot directly involve nearly 20 city teams before resolving the status of the district association,” he argues.
Kolhapur
As of 2026
Vipashana.Kamble, July 17, 2026: The Times of India
It’s left now to Argentina and Spain to fight it out for the football’s greatest prize, the rest have all bowed out of the game’s biggest stage. But in Kolhapur, Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo still watches over a traffic junction, and Brazil’s talisman Neymar Jr towers above a neighbourhood awash in yellow and green. Lionel Messi is there, too, presiding over a busy crossroads.
The city of the Mahalakshmi Temple in central Maharashtra chooses a different set of gods for the football World Cup. Made of iron frames and printed flex, they rise 45ft above roads and markets. Between 12 and 16 of these giants dot Kolhapur’s skyline — an improbable sight in a country that lives and breathes cricket. “The posters announce that Kolhapur is football-crazy in a cricketcrazy nation,” says Vikas Patil, a former player. Adds Shivtej Kharade, the manager of the 92-year-old Shiva ji Tarun Mandal, a football club: “There is no gully cricket here. There is gully football.”
“When a child is born, we don’t put a cricket bat near him; we put a football at his feet,” Kharade says. His five-year-old son is already kicking a ball around.
Royal Roots, Polish Influence
Football’s roots here go back to the early 20th century. Locals trace its arrival to Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj, who is believed to have promoted it after returning from England around 1910. The Kolhapur Sports Association (KSA), which still runs the district leagues, was established in 1940 under the patronage of Chhatrapati Rajaram and Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj.
During World War 2, Polish refugees housed near Kolhapur played local footballers in matches encouraged by the royals. Older administrators say the Poles introduced passing and technique to the city’s players, who mostly relied on strength. Shiva ji Tarun Mandal famously defeated a visiting Polish team, a result still recalled with pride.
The KSA now oversees 16 clubs each in the A and B Divisions and around 80 in the C Division. Practice Football Club, founded in 1927, is among the oldest. Register secretary Ramesh More’s grandfather was a founder and played through the 1940s and 1950s.
Practice spends around Rs 15 lakh annually, largely from public donations. More puts in over Rs 2 lakh. Across Kolhapur, A Division clubs’ collective spend runs into a few crores annually – money that’s raised almost entirely without corporate sponsorship.
“We don’t get sponsors like clubs outside,” Kharade says. “We go to the public. We go to politicians. We adopt players. That’s how our club survives.”
His club, founded in 1933, spends at least Rs 60,000 annually on each player and often helps them find jobs. “Earlier, it was emotional. Now, there is business in football. Boys don’t play unless they’re paid… their families depend on that income.”
When The World Cup Comes
There is no official fan festival. Neighbourhood clubs and volunteers collect donations, design banners and organise screenings. Kolhapur also celebrates its own just as loudly. Aniket Jadhav was the city’s first player to represent India’s senior national team. When he represented India at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2017, giant cutouts of him appeared across the city. Though born in Kolhapur, he trained in Pune and never actually played club football at home. Abhilash Chavan of AbhiAds, an ad agency, says he made around 25 cutouts this year. He charges roughly Rs 7,000 to print a 40ft Messi or Ronaldo. But Aditya Awale of the Kolhapuri Brazil Fan Club and More put the full cost closer to Rs 40,000 after adding the frame, permissions and rent for public space.
“Individual karyakartas (workers) collect donations and organise the cutouts because they love their teams,” More says. However, inflation and the monsoon nearly stopped this year’s spectacle. “We weren’t sure whether we should put it up,” Awale says.
Awaiting Investment
Kolhapur has proved it can pull a crowd. It has hosted an international women’s friendly between India and the Netherlands and several I-League matches. The 2013 match drew a packed crowd. In 2023, an estimated 18,000 people watched Maharashtra play Bengal in a Santosh Trophy tie at Chhatrapati Shahu Stadium. But infrastructure has not kept pace. Kolhapur has just one dedicated football stadium — Chhatrapati Shahu Stadium. Its natural grass pitch, Patil says, is a genuine luxury that is rare in Indian football. “There are no professional sponsors. Clubs survive almost entirely on what their own neighbourhoods are willing to hand over,” he says. Yet money has done little to weaken the devotion. Patil describes a tradition in which, during the ceremony held five days after a child is born, some families place a football and a club jersey before the family deity, alongside the customary books — a prayer that the child will one day play for that club.
See also
Football in India: History
