As the nation basks in the triumph of its football team’s successful defence of Nehru Cup, I am often left wondering whether we miss the big picture when it comes to Indian football. Not to take away any credit from a significant achievement on the part of the team, I do feel that such victories papers over the cracks which are littered all over Indian football.

Last week I was talking to Baichung Bhutia and one could sense the anger and disappointment in his tone when talking about the state of affairs football finds itself in.

Bhutia said that no one expects the team to win a match let alone a tournament when it steps on the field. So when a victory like this comes along, we are led to believe that all is hunky and dory with the sport, when in fact its quite the opposite of it.

One might argue that these are steps which need to be taken if we want Indian football to become a force to be reckoned with. It is something I absolutely agree with. But along with such baby steps, football needs to take giant strides in all other areas.

We still need infrastructural development if we want to capitalise on such achievements. Two years ago India had won the Nehru Cup but still the overall scenario remains as bleak as ever. Players still complain about lack of facilities such as no training grounds, not enough money being pumped in the sport. And this is after they have achieved a significant bit. God knows what all they would have had to put up with if such victories also didn’t come by.

So we should of course take great pride in achievements like this. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves by believing things like Indian football is headed in the right direction.

On the pitch, it may well be doing so. But off the pitch, there are a lot of changes which the game is crying out loud to be implemented. And no matter how successful we might get on the pitch, if off it things don’t improve, achievements like this will become a thing of the past and quickly forgotten. The authorities need to build on this rather than resting on these laurels and bask in the glory of it.