“Yeh haath mujhe de de Thakur!”
The famous line from Sholay usually gets a laugh. But if you watch Indian football closely these days, it almost sounds like the fans are saying that to the administrators. Give us the system for a moment. Maybe we can do better.
Because once again, the football dream on the field really did not die. It has quietly slipped somewhere between poor planning, strange decisions and a federation that continues to score its own goals.
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India’s 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup campaign ended with a 1-3 loss to Chinese Taipei at Western Sydney Stadium. With this result, India crashed out of the tournament and their hopes of getting closer to the Women’s World Cup were once again pushed further.
The numbers are ugly. Three matches, three defeats, two goals scored, sixteen conceded. Losses to Vietnam, Japan and Chinese Taipei meant India finished bottom of the group.
However, numbers rarely tell the whole story.
For a brief spell against Chinese Taipei, India were a goal away from the quarter-finals. One ending could flip the whole script. A place in the round of 16 would put them within touching distance of a World Cup berth. India’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 campaign ended with a loss to Chinese Taipei. (AP photo)
This is the most frustrating part. This was no fantasy scenario. The door was slightly ajar.
Instead, India conceded a goal that seemed to be emblematic of their entire campaign. Pyari Xaxa’s deflection led to a penalty. The shot hit the post, bounced off goalkeeper Panthoi Chan and rolled into the net.
Bad luck certainly played its part. But bad luck tends to find teams that arrive underprepared.
WHEN EVEN JERSEYS LOVED THE BRAND
If there was one moment that perfectly summed up the build-up to this tournament, it happened before a ball was even kicked.
Just days before the opening game against Vietnam, the players finally got their kit in Perth. The shipment arrived barely two days before the kick-off.
Disbelief spread through the dressing room when the boxes were opened.
A few jerseys just didn’t fit.
Some were too big. Some were too small. On the eve of the continental tournament, players were scrambling to find shirts they could actually wear on the pitch.
Rarely have we seen an era of a men’s or women’s team actually challenge the AIFF for their mishaps or incompetence. But every patient mind has its threshold and this incident touched that threshold on the female side.
In a rare show of collective frustration, all 26 players signed a letter to All India Football Federation officials asking for the right size kit and demanding answers.
Instead of studying opponents or working on tactics, the squad had to deal with a logistical mess.
As for football, the federation scored an own goal before kick-off.
JAPANESE REALITY CHECK
Then came the score that caused outrage everywhere.
India lost to Japan 11-0.
Yes, it was awkward. No one denies that.
But let’s also stop and remember who Japan is. Japan beat India 11–0, causing outrage among the fans. (AP photo)
Japan is not just another Asian side. They are former world champions. They played several world championships. They have a system that runs from the basics to the elite level as a well-rounded midfield booster.
They invest in youth development, domestic leagues, infrastructure and coaching routes.
So the real question is not why Japan beat India 11-0.
The real question is what exactly people expected.
Did anyone really believe that a team struggling with training camps, friendlies and even properly sized jerseys would suddenly come into contact with one of the best systems in women’s football in the world?
Blaming the players for this defeat completely misses the point.
SAME MATCH SCENARIO IN MEN’S FOOTBALL
Worse, this pattern is not limited to the women’s team.
Indian football has experienced the same cycle as it is with the men’s side. Talented players will emerge, fans will begin to believe, and then the administrative confusion will slowly disappear from this progress.
The country continues to produce exceptional individuals. In the men’s game, it was Sunil Chhetri who carried the national team for years. In the women’s team, players like Manisha Kalyan show that the talent pool exists.
But football cannot survive on miracles forever.
The frustrating truth is that women’s football is still developing globally and the gap between the best Asian teams and the rest is not impossible to close. With proper planning, stronger domestic competitions and consistent international exposure, India could realistically push for a World Cup berth.
Instead, another opportunity was lost.
And that inevitably brings attention back to the man at the top of the federation, Kalyan Chaubey.
Chaubey is a former player who understands the game from the dressing room as well as the boardroom. Yet his tenure is increasingly beginning to look like one of the most troubling periods Indian football has seen in recent years. Signs are visible to fans and players alike.
Indian football does not need a grand plan for 2047 if there is no strong team left by the time that year arrives.
What he needs is a plan for now. A system that works now. A structure that ensures the next generation of players actually has a team worth dreaming about when 2047 finally arrives.
And maybe it’s time for Chaubey to look at what fans are already seeing.
Because the game he runs now is the same game he once played. And if Indian football is to stop watching its dreams fade away, change cannot wait for the next distant milestone. It has to start now.
– The end
Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
March 12, 2026 1:37 PM IST
