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Football in India though may not be a religion as cricket is, but it is quite a popular game in India. It has a huge fan following across the entire country. But football has lost out to a more illustrious cricket in the popularity ratings. Though it has a great fan following for international football, Indian interest in the national version of the game is fast dwindling. While in other sports, Indians are steadily increasing their presence felt at the global stage; the Indian football team continues to remain in the bottom of the world football rankings.
Almost every culture has some reference or the other reference to the history of Soccer. The Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Ancient Greek, Persian, Viking and many more played a ball game very similar to the modern football. The Chinese played "football" games date as far back as 3000 years ago. The Ancient Greeks and the Roman used football games to sharpen warriors for battle. In south and Central America a game called "Tlatchi" once flourished. The first Football Association was founded in England in 1863 in England, when two football associations (association football and rugby football) were divided. Therefore, in October 1863, eleven London clubs and schools sent their representatives to the Freemason`s Tavern. This meeting marked the birth of The Football Association. They wanted no part in a game that forbade tripping, shin kicking and carrying the ball. A stage had been reached where the ideals were no longer compatible.  On 8 December 1863, football and rugby finally split. Their separation became totally irreconcilable six years hence when a provision was included in the football rules forbidding any handling of the ball (not only carrying it). Only eight years after its foundation, The Football Association already had 50 member clubs. The first football competition in the world was started in the same year - the FA Cup, which preceded the League Championship by 17 years.
The British introduced football to India and it soon became a favourite among the masses. The Mohan Bagan Athletic club was formed as early as 1889. In 1911, Mohun Bagan AC was the first Indian team to win the IFA-Shield Trophy, a title previously won only by British teams. Soon, the number of clubs and tournaments spread rapidly which led to the formation of the All India Football Federation in 1937. The AIFF got affiliated to the world body FIFA in 1948 and was one of the founder members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 1954. The 1951 to 1962 decade was the golden age for Indian football as the country put up a laudable performance in international competitions. India won the gold medals in the 1951 and 1962 Asian Games at New Delhi and Jakarta respectively and in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics became the first Asian nation to reach the Olympic football semi-final. Football Tournaments Indian football tournaments have some glorious past, but sadly, the future is somewhat uncertain, due to a comparative ignorance about this game by the patronizers, at the moment. However the players continue to play oblivious to the public reaction and those who are die hard fans of Indian football, small may be in number, still continue to cheer during these matches. Famous Indian Football Clubs Though the football clubs in India may not enjoy the glamour that the European clubs enjoy, some die-hard players just love to be a part of this game, by however means possible. Even today some really interesting matches take place between ancient arch rivals, the most famous being the Mohun Bagan Ac v/s the East Bengal Club. All India Football Federation The AIFF has played an active role in promoting football, not only in the country but also in Asia. The AIFF had joined the FIFA in 1948. Indian Football Legends Many Indian football players have actually made our country proud. Though they may not have scored as many goals as Pele; They may not be as quick as Maradona; but these surely have records that are still untouched. Get an insight into the profiles of these legendary football players, who have gained fame and recognition all around the globe. | |||||||||||||||||||
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Considering the fact that India has been Asiad champions in football and have performed commendably well in the Olympics in the 1960s, this situation surely does not reflect the actual potential of our players. The All India Football Federation (AIFF), the governing body in football, introduced the National Football League in 1996 in a bid to raise the standards of the game in India. The effort has met only partial success. There was a lack of a programme to improve the fitness and tactics of the players. The AIFF has now roped in Bob Houghton as the new manager of the national team and his experience from his associations with some top-ranked Asian teams, is expected to benefit the team.
The length of the rectangular field (pitch) specified for international matches is in the range 100-110 m (110-120 yards) and the width is in the range 65-75 m (70-80 yards). Each team has eleven members, one of who must be the goalkeeper; each team tries to score a goal, and prevent the opponent from doing so. None of the players are allowed to touch the ball with their hands except the goalkeeper, that too within the penalty area.