Arsene Wenger, in his time as coach, has seen the development of many a young talent into a footballing star. Now, as FIFA's chief of Global Football Development, he is working towards laying the foundation for a similar development in Indian football.
The first concrete step was the launch of the first-ever AIFF-FIFA Talent Academy in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday, which is aimed at maximizing the potential of Indian football by focussing on quality education - for the players and coaches - at an early stage at home. Wenger is leading the team from FIFA, eight of whom will stay back to guide the grassroots development in India.
It's not a magic wand from FIFA, AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey insisted, but a process that will require all stakeholders in Indian football to push from the same direction to achieve progress. Wenger used the example of Brazil and France while stressing the need for football education at the right time.
"I ask you one question. You take three boys, one is born in Mumbai, one is born in Sao Paulo and the third is born in Paris. What, after one day, is the difference between the three in terms of football? What, after one year, a difference between the three?" Wenger said at a press conference in Mumbai.
"Now, after 15 years, is there a difference in the quality of the players? Personally, I would say yes. And that, in our opinion, is not because when you are (a) French you are better controlled, it is because you got the education that you needed to develop."
"It is about the differences between the countries linked with the quality of education. And that's why we are here, that's what the academy wants to achieve - wipe out that difference by the quality of education," Wenger said.
The 74-year-old gave his own country's example, saying there was no system for football education in France when he was young and was only developed when he was in his early 20s. "Started in 1973 and in 1984, France became European champions and then in 1998 world champion."
"The top one per cent of footballing countries in the world are the ones with better systems of education. There is a huge correlation between the quality of education and the results of the first-team," he added.
An MoU ✍�� was signed by AIFF President @kalyanchaubey and Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Department of Sports and Youth Services, Government of Odisha, @rvineel_krishna for AIFF-FIFA Talent Academy today in Bhubaneswar ����
Gracing the occasion were FIFA's Chief of Global Football... pic.twitter.com/kogPh1fJ91
- Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) November 21, 2023
While talking about the roadmap ahead, Chaubey announced some positive steps such as the plan to upgrade licensed coaches in India, who can also be future scouts. "Each member association will nominate two coaches who have a B or C license in coaching. So, in one or two years, we can have 70-72 coaches with a license. What is most important for the success of this project is to identify talent in every pocket in every corner of our country. FIFA cannot send so many scouts here, this has to be carried out by Indian coaches. Once identified, FIFA can give us a guideline on how to train when you are 15 years old and so on, which will be followed by our coaches," Chaubey explained.
When asked about the unique challenges of setting up a grassroots program in a country as vast and diverse as India, Wenger pointed out two main issues: identification of talent and level of competition. "You need better identification of talent inside the country. It starts with that. I am convinced that in India not everyone gets a chance. The second important part is that you have to put the best with the best together. When you play against good players, that's a stimulation. We want to identify good talents, give them the best coaching, quality competitions, and after that, the final step is to integrate them within the first team" Wenger said.
The former Arsenal manager also was honest about the comparative quality in Indian football right now. "It's very interesting when I see the audience in India, unfortunately, not for the Indian game but European games. That means that people who love the game want to watch quality. So, we have to produce quality. Today, people have access to the top games in the world and they are not stupid, they can compare. We have to do something together to develop the potential of a country that is 20% of the world's population. Now, it's so easy to see what has to be done. We know what we have to do now we have to do it," Wenger said.
The strength of India, according to Wenger, is the number of people while the weakness is the size of the country. He was honest enough saying a nation like India would need 40 such development academies. This is just the first.
Chaubey also was candid when he said that qualifying for the Under-17 FIFA World Cup on merit should be the focus, instead of the oft-asked 'When will India reach the senior FIFA World Cup?' The FIFA U-17 World Cup is to be held yearly now, which they agreed, would benefit the upcoming talent in India.
It should be noted that there was no concrete answer to whether the academy and process will also give the same treatment to women's football in India, but Chaubey said that it's meant for both teams. The AIFF chief also said that there will be a discussion with the clubs soon, including the Indian Super League, I-League and the Indian Women's League, on how they can play a role in this development.
Wenger's observations on the paucity of grassroots identification and the relatively late training of young footballers are not new or unique by any means. Nor does the academy mean Indian football will magically transform from the 'sleeping giant' it has been far too often referred to. What it should do is signal the start of some actual, tangible processes. The involvement of FIFA's developmental team in this is a sign of both hope and accountability.