Indian football will need capital at the bottom instead of just the top, as one of the factors for growth, feels Punjab FC’s youth team coach Sankarlal Chakraborty.
“Since it’s such a huge country, one cannot pinpoint something to say that only this factor is hindering growth. There are multiple factors at play which do not exist in well-planned and less populous countries,” he tells Sportstar in an exclusive interview.
“I feel if the grassroots can be strengthened, with the money not just flowing to the top of the pyramid, in foreign coaches and so on, India will benefit a lot in the long run,” he adds.
Sankarlal, with a decade-long experience in coaching, was the assistant coach of Punjab FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) last season.
But he made headlines with the youth side of the same team when he guided it to its maiden Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL) title this year, beating Kolkata giant East Bengal 3-2 in the final.
“The boys in this batch and the next one are not just technically good but also as individuals. As a result, they have remained mentally tough enough to go unbeaten for so long (16 matches),” he says.
Punjab FC’s under-21 side, as the RFDL winner, has travelled to the Next Gen Cup 2024, where it will play under-19 sides of Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace from the Premier League and South African youth side Stellenbosch FC.
“They have a great hunger to win games and so, they have proven their mettle against reputed academies in Indian football (Mohun Bagan and two-time RFDL champion Bengaluru FC).
“That makes me extremely proud, even prouder, for the fact that seven players from this team have already joined the first team,” the coach adds.
Sankarlal started coaching at Mohun Bagan (now named Mohun Bagan Super Giant) and was a key member of the backroom staff when the Mariners enjoyed success in the pre-ISL era.
Punjab FC team and coaching staff poses for a photograph in front of Arsenal’s home ground, the Emirates Stadium in London. | Photo Credit: Punjab FC
As an assistant coach to Sanjoy Sen, he won the I-League (in 2015), the Federation Cup (in 2016) and the Calcutta Football League (CFL) in 2018 and led the team to a second-place finish in the 2019 CFL as head coach.
But he feels football has come a long way in India since then.
“The youngsters nowadays are very self-aware and professional. They are constantly looking at ways to keep themselves in shape and fit for games,” he says.
“Secondly, the game (in India) has become faster and they have become more keen to listen to coaches.”
More games, more development
The RFDL, which started in 2022, has been a perennial avenue for Indian footballers to reach the ISL, India’s top division.
So far, over 45 players have joined ISL clubs after playing in the league, such as Mohun Bagan’s Abhishek Suryavanshi (19 matches) and Mohammed Sanan K (24 matches), who were first-team regulars last season.
Does the tournament interfere with the existing youth tournaments such as the Subroto Cup or the Santosh Trophy? Sankarlal disagrees.
“For a player to maintain his optimum level, they have to play a minimum of 40 to 45 games. In RFDL, they play 16 to 17 matches. If they (then) go and play in the Subroto Cup, Santosh Trophy or regional leagues, it sets up their schedule perfectly because they are getting more games,” he says.
“Tournaments can be small or big but they’re tournaments after all. This (RFDL) has become a stepping stone for children to transition from the under-17 level to ISL smoothly. It is also helping teams to scout new players.”
Sankarlal explains that for grassroots development, the most important thing was the centralisation of players – one that Punjab pioneers.
“The difference in services here (to that of Mohun Bagan then) is hell and heaven. Here, at the grassroots, the youngsters of the academy stay together. They have a separate coach, assistant coach, physio, yoga teacher and nutritionist - an organised structure that I never saw there,” he says.
“Coming here and watching these made me think that we need these because they are ultimately producing results. At (Kolkata) clubs, if the players are coming to and fro from their homes, grassroots development might be difficult.”
Impossible is possible
Punjab faces Aston Villa in the opening fixture of the Next Gen Cup on Thursday, a team that won the Berlin Next Gen Cup a few months ago while its next match will be against the Premier League 2 champion, Tottenham Hotspur.
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“We understand that the sides at the Next Gen Cup are of very high quality and competitive. But I have always believed that the impossible is possible and we are preparing accordingly to give our best,” Sankarlal says.
“The team that played in the RFDL final has undergone some changes as some players have moved to other clubs. But that has paved the way for some youngsters, whom we have inducted from the under-17 level.”
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