Indians look to corner market

The Indian national team pay a visit to Craven Cottage

India may not have much of a presence in world football but as BBC Sport Online's Pranav Soneji discovers, things may be about to change.

For a nation of one billion cricket fans, it may not be surprising to learn that India has only one footballer who plays in a European league.

Couple this with the fact that no British Asian footballer has broken through the ranks, some cynics may conclude that Indians and football are about as compatible as oil and water.

Not so. The enthusiastic president of the Indian Football Association Munsi Das believes that football in India is even more popular than cricket.

Speaking before the first of a three match tour of England starting on Saturday against Fulham, he said: "Outside of the major cities, the rural areas of India have embraced football fully.

"We now have players who I believe will be able to compete with the best in the world in the European leagues and by bringing them to England, we can encourage them to strive to achieve that goal."

The Indians have brought a 22-man squad to face Fulham, West Brom and a friendly against Bangladesh at Filbert Street on 29th July.

We now have players who I believe will be able to compete with the best in the world in the European leagues and by bringing them to England, we can encourage them to strive to achieve that goal

  Munsi Das, Indian Football Association president

The tour is also hoping to arouse the interests of the thriving Asian football community, currently lacking the inspiration of an British Asian footballer to set the wheels in motion.

For many players, this is the first time they have played outside of their home country and many sense a period of excitement and change.

The player the Indians most look up to is their captain, Baichung Bhutia. The first Asian to play football in the football league with second division club Bury, Bhutia proves to be an inspiration to his team-mates.

Experience

Bhutia said: "One of the reasons for coming here was to raise the standards of the players. They are facing two very good English sides in Fulham and West Brom, so hopefully, they can learn from this experience."

Bhutia, along with his president Munsi Das, believes that India and Asia could become a major talent pool for top European clubs to scour for new players.

Das said: "Hopefully, India can become like Africa, providing top quality players to play for top quality sides.

Fulham chairman, Mohammed Al-Fayed greets Munsi Das

"I would not be surprised that if by 2006, there are at least six or seven Indian players playing in the Premiership."

Potential

He cites defender Mahesh Gawli and midfielder Basudev Mondal as two players with the potential to play in England very soon and with so many English clubs scouring for Asian players in their local communities, the breakthrough seems almost inevitable.

Players such as Harpal Singh at Leeds United and Nevin Saroya at Brentford are doing their best to break the barriers between Asians and football as they strive to achieve that infamous first team appearence.

Hopefully, the arrival of the Indian football side can dispel the myth that Indians and football don't go. In time, it may come to be that football and Indians go like Brazil and football.

Maybe, just maybe.