Is Indian women’s football team decline reversible? The clock is ticking

Based on current form Indian women’s football team’s qualification for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup looks very tough

Among the unwanted records that Indian women’s football holds, one in particular jumps out – a failure to qualify for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup has to be the worst statistic. Since qualification for the tournament started in 2006, India have failed to qualify for the tournament five times and only made it to the 2022 edition as hosts – eventually withdrawing due to an outbreak of COVID-19 within the team.

With qualification details for Australia 2026 awaited the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) recently announced the switch to a newer two-round qualification format for Uzbekistan 2029 and other subsequent AFC Women’s Cup tournaments. With more countries taking the women’s game seriously, qualification in Asia is all set to get tougher.

Lowest Rank Ever?

With the women’s team ranked at their lowest-ever (68) and losing to Nepal (99) and Bangladesh (139) at the latest SAFF Championships, the appointment of Santosh Kashyap seems to be the final nail in the coffin for any hope the Blue Tigresses might have had of qualifying for the quadrennial extravaganza.

A quick look at some other incredible statistics from what is surely the lowest ebb for the women’s team:

• India haven’t beaten Nepal and Bangladesh since March-April 2019.
•  India have played 19 games between the 2022 and 2024 editions of the SAFF Championships. They have won only 4 matches – Kyrgyz Republic (5-0, 4-0), Estonia (4-3) and Hong Kong (2-0) in that span.
•  They have lost 10 matches in that period. They lost 1-2 to a Myanmar side mostly comprising the reserves and the Under-23s.
•  Under Thomas Dennerby, Suren Chettri, Chaoba Devi and Santosh Kashyap, they have only won 12 of 34 matches played.
•  After never having lost at the SAFF level, they have failed to make it to two finals in a row.

While countries like Nepal and Bangladesh are knocking on the doors of the second tier in Asia, India – once able to compete with Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan and Myanmar – have struggled against the likes of upcoming sides such as Jordan and Kosovo, firmly putting them in the third tier.

Slipping to India’s third tier?

With the rankings deceptive, India will have to secure a significant scalp or two to make it to Australia. The Blue Tigresses haven’t beaten a higher-ranked opponent since the 1-0 win against Chinese Taipei on October 10, 2021.

Odisha FC’s 17-0 loss against Urawa Red Diamonds showcased the gulf between India and the continent’s elite, and two more one-sided losses in the group stage against teams from Chinese Taipei and Vietnam confirmed the worst – Indian football has work to do to get back into Asia’s second-tier.

The reigning IWL champions were the only ones to finish without a point, ending with a goal difference of -23. Despite the club’s well-documented problems in securing players, this was another poor representation of the country’s football on the continental stage – symptomatic of the country’s struggles on football’s highest stages.

Defeat. pic.twitter.com/k4fcoVFNkl

— Odisha FC Women (@OdishaFCW) October 6, 2024

Are players to be blamed?

While the entire squad wrote to the Federation to keep Thomas Dennerby in charge and offer him an extension, the results under him (7 wins in 21) were hardly spectacular, even though India did come up against tough opposition. A change in coach with the same core intact would hardly be a silver bullet, even though the AIFF may wish for this.

The decision to ignore Anthony Andrews – a two-time IWL winning coach in the favour of Santosh Kashyap – last managing a top-tier side in 2018 – is a mind-boggling one and one that deserves closer scrutiny.

For any coach to create significant change, it will take 18 months at the very least and Kashyap’s appointment with roughly the same amount to go for Australia 2026 and perhaps a year or less for the qualifiers to start, firmly seems to have put any thoughts of qualification to rest.

ALSO READ: How did India perform in SAFF Women’s Championship 2024: key highlights & missed opportunities

The manner of the losses at the SAFF Cup to Nepal (the opposition reduced to 10 in the 51st minute) and Bangladesh (3 goals conceded without reply in the first half) raises questions about the team’s ability to perform in the qualifiers. A lack of structure or planning at either end of the pitch showed the need for a massive change in the dugout as well.

High attrition rates – once the bane for Indian women’s football – arrested by inflated salaries in the Indian Women’s League has led to Indian football having its most experienced core ever and yet, has delivered the side’s worst results in a long time. Some players have moved to Europe, with the majority failing to show a significant improvement in national colours.

While there have been a few new faces in the side, Under-17 World Cuppers Neha, Kajol D’Souza and Lynda Kom, they have not been able to get on to the pitch. Chaoba Devi had opted to leave them on the bench, bizarrely using only two or three substitutes on occasion.

A revolving door of coaches (5 since 2021) and a core retained long past its best – has led to a choking of the talent pipeline leading us to a deeper question – who are the decision makers behind the women’s team’s alarming slide?

Questions on Techincal Committee and Scouting

With a few Indian coaches being rotated among the Under-17 and Under-20 positions, it comes as no surprise that there are a lack of fresh ideas in the Indian teams – both senior and junior. Bangladesh, on the other hand, have qualified for the Under-17 AFC Women’s Cup on merit twice in a row. Nepal’s players play in the IWL as designated foreigners – indicating a shift in the power centre within the SAFF confederation.

Indian football’s age-old problem of rolling over players from its youth sides to the senior ones – a desperate attempt to justify these youth sides – is present in women’s football as well.

Despite the Khelo India U-17 Women’s League held across states and the streaming of major national and state football leagues, opening up a plethora of possibilities, the thought paralysis of Indian football’s technical decision-makers seems to have nullified any chances of team compositions being shaken up.

The proposal of ideas such as a female Indian Arrows side is a laughable concept – with a majority of the players in the Indian Women’s League and the Senior Nationals 23 or younger. A thorough inspection of players from the IWL, IWL2, the Senior and Junior Nationals and select state leagues is likely to throw up a mix of players, who might challenge Asia’s second tier once again.

A piece of good news to end this somber piece on – the women’s game is throwing up players who, if invested in, can deliver results 3-4 years down the line and may qualify for Uzbekistan 2029. It might be prudent to invest in a larger group with a long-term, realistic goal in mind.

Finally, there needs to be willingness and perseverance to create a competent core whose efforts must be supplemented with the best of backroom practices and fresh ideas into a free-falling set-up.

While Australia 2026 may be a step too far for the team right now, a fighting attempt at qualification rather than a meek bow-out is likely to cheer up the fans, who are all too aware of the poor form that the team is in currently. Even so, the clock is ticking and solutions seem to be far from the agenda of AIFF’s top brass.

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