The Indian government has assigned the sports budget for the ongoing year, with only 5 crore allotted to football. This is in comparison to the sum of 30 crore allotted to athletics and 24 crores allotted to badminton, boxing, hockey and shooting.
Football fans have been disappointed by this decision, considering the massive potential for growth of the sport in India. But, other sports like athletics have rather deservedly taken the lead due to their performances in international competitions.
Indian football assigned only 5 crore budget – Here’s why
This past year at the Olympics, Neeraj Chopra bagged the first gold medal in javelin for India. Moreover, the country performed exceptionally well in all of Asia. Sports like badminton and boxing have yielded medals in every major tournament since 2011. The Indian hockey team bagged the bronze medal at Olympics to further stake their claim as one of the most developing ones in the country.
The football team, on the other hand, failed to qualify for the knockout stages in the 2019 Asian Cup. In comparison to the rest of Asia, Indian football is down the pecking order as is evident in Mumbai City FC’s recent performance in the AFC Champions League.
The ISL is owned by independent business organisations, which has no ties to the government. So, much like the other sports that have received a boost in funding, some positive results are needed for the government to justify their investment. The development of Indian football is expected to accelerate in the coming years, and promising results are sure to do the trick for government sponsorships.
