Contrary to popular belief, India did not skip the 1950 FIFA World Cup because of the lack of boots and no funding. According to the new book 'Box to Box: 75 years of the Indian football team', edited by noted football journalists Jaydeep Basu and Sayan Mukherjee, the blame solely lies in the
The lethargic attitude of the erstwhile All India Football Federation (AIFF) top brass was the only reason for India not playing at the 1950 FIFA World Cup, according to the new book which highlights the history of the national football team.
The book is a collection of essays and interviews from prominent players of yesteryears as well as some of the best football writers in the country. It traces the journey of the Indian national team since independence, how they became the champions of Asia during their 'golden period' and how they faded from the 1970s onwards.
The book, which hit the stands this month, is a treasure-trove of facts, interesting anecdotes, cultural roots of football, untold and forgotten stories and first-person interviews of some of the finest stars of the game like Tulsidas Balaram, Sudhir Karmakar and Bhaichung Bhutia.
In the essay titled 'The Blunder of the Century,' Basu debunked several theories of India not sending a team to the 1950 World Cup after the national team qualified for it following the withdrawals of Burma (now Myanmar) and the Philippines.
"...there was no specific reason behind the move except the lackadaisical attitude of AIFF officials. There was no question of FIFA objecting to Indians playing barefoot -- it's a fancy theory generated much later," Basu, who is considered an authority on Indian football, wrote.
"Raising money from making such a long trip was of course a headache. But the problem was solved as three state associations came to the AIFF's rescue. FIFA too promised to help. A camp was also organised for a short period in Calcutta (now Kolkata).
"But what finally resulted in the trip failing was the indecisiveness of the AIFF brass. They dilly-dallied things till the last moment, held a series of meetings, but still could not reach a decision. At the last moment, when the World Cup was only a couple of weeks away, they took refuge behind lame excuses to cancel the trip."
The decision not to send the national team was hardly criticised as the World Cup was yet to reach its pinnacle of glory then. The Olympic Games were more prestigious than the World Cup at that time. AIFF was then under the helm of president Moin-ul-Haq and general secretary M Dutta Ray.
Seven or eight players of the Indian team that lost 1-2 to France in the 1948 London Olympics played barefooted but the book revealed that all of them had spike boots in their travel bag and it was their choice not to wear them. Many players in those days prefer to play with only a heavy taping on their feet, instead of wearing boots.
The romance of barefooted football was eulogised by the 'we play football and you play boot-ball,' comment by captain Talimeren Ao, which continued till 1954 when most nations had already switched to boots long before. The side needed a 1-10 humiliation at the hands of then Yugoslavia in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, the biggest margin defeat till now, to hasten the switch from barefoot to boots.
