Kalyan Chaubey Charts Bold Vision to Resolve India’s Forward Crisis in Football

Indian football is once again grappling with a familiar dilemma—an alarming lack of goals from their attacking unit. The recent failures to find the back of the net against Thailand and Hong Kong have deepened concerns over the national team’s offensive frailties.

With just five goals in their last eight outings, including three consecutive goalless performances, the issue has become a critical one for the future of Indian football. Now, All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey has stepped forward with ambitious plans to address the shortage of quality strikers in the Indian setup.

Addressing the Striker Deficit: AIFF’s Priority

Kalyan Chaubey didn’t mince his words when acknowledging the glaring gap in India’s attacking department. In a recent press briefing, he candidly admitted, “Our main area of focus is the lack of goal scoring and the shortage of strikers. Anyone in Indian football will agree that is our major problem.”

The AIFF president emphasized that Indian football urgently needs a systematic overhaul to resolve this ongoing crisis, especially focusing on developing strikers capable of consistent output at the international level.

More Minutes, More Goals: Advocating for Indian Forwards

One of Chaubey’s key points revolved around playing time. He argued that Indian strikers are being deprived of critical match exposure, especially in the number nine role. Often relegated to supporting or wide positions at club level, these players find themselves ill-prepared when tasked with leading the line for the national side.

“It is very difficult for a player who has played the supporting role or on the wings in the club for 11 to play a number 9 role in just 3 days! Sunil Chhetri is a legend and he’s doing great at 40, but we need more,” Chaubey remarked. “Chettri was the only one proper striker to be a part of all the last three coaches’ squads.”

The AIFF president further stressed that giving Indian strikers more opportunities at the club level is pivotal if they are to develop the instinct and sharpness required at the highest stage.

Reducing Foreign Quota? Not Just Yet

When probed about possible reforms to the Indian Super League (ISL) and I-League’s foreign player regulations to benefit local forwards, Chaubey responded with cautious optimism.

“I cannot say anything about reducing the number of foreigners in the domestic league; it is the stakeholders’ decision, but in the interest of the national team, if they decide to give more time to Indian positive strikers, I will be happy to accommodate,” he explained.

While stopping short of making any official declarations, the AIFF clearly recognizes that reshaping domestic league structures may be an eventual necessity if India hopes to build a self-sufficient talent pool of forwards.

Global Expertise on the Horizon

In an intriguing revelation, Chaubey disclosed that efforts are underway to bring in elite expertise from global football to work with India’s emerging strikers.

“We are trying to get a World Cup-winning striker to come and help us. We are trying to identify 4-5 good strikers from the U-23 and train under him for some days, like practice their shooting skills and hone their goal-scoring instincts,” Chaubey confirmed.

If executed successfully, such an initiative could offer a rare and invaluable opportunity for Indian youngsters to learn from someone who has operated—and thrived—at the pinnacle of the game.

Can India Find Its Sharpshooters?

The Blue Tigers’ recent attacking returns make for grim reading—five goals in eight games, with as many as five of those fixtures ending without a single shot breaching the opponent’s net. Kalyan Chaubey’s proposals mark the first serious institutional recognition of the need for reform in this crucial area.

However, these ideas will need sustained execution, cooperation from stakeholders, and above all, a clear, long-term developmental blueprint. India has long relied on Sunil Chhetri’s remarkable consistency, but the search for the next generation of prolific scorers has never been more urgent.

For Indian football to truly ascend the continental ladder and compete globally, converting these ambitious plans into tangible outcomes is no longer optional—it is essential.

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