At a packed media conference in the city, the AIFF chief presented mementoes to six members of the 1974 team, captain Shabbir Ali, CC Jacob, Dilip Palit, Shishir Guha Dastidar, Ranjit Das (Gobinda) and SP Kumar.
The coach of the winning team, Arun Ghosh could not attend due to health reasons. His son-in-law received the memento on Ghosh's behalf.
IFA President Ajit Banerjee, President Subrata Dutta and Secretary Anirba Dutta were present.
Speaking on the occasion, the AIFF President recalled the achievements of the 1974 team, which jointly won the AFC Youth Championship after a 2-2 draw with Iran in Bangkok, Thailand, which went to extra time.Choubey said, “When I started my football journey, I had heard that 1970 was the golden era of Indian football. I would like to express my gratitude to Shabbir Da for reminding us of April 30, 1974, so that we can celebrate the 50th anniversary of this famous victory.
He said, “For 48 years after India's independence, we never focused on the FIFA friendly window, the FIFA World Cup or even cooperation with the world of football. As per the then policy decisions (1948 to 1998), we decided not to look beyond the Olympics and Asian Games.
“Did this vague policy of the then decision makers cause India to lose 50 years of exposure in international football when countries across the world were adopting FIFA norms and increasingly participating in the development of the game?
“We have started gaining momentum in the last few years.However, we have already lost those five decades, which is a long bridge when we know others are far ahead,” he said.
India captain of the 1974 team, Shabbir Ali, said, “I thank the AIFF and its President Kalyan Choubey for their efforts to honor the players who brought glory to India five decades ago. It was a fantastic tournament in which India remained unbeaten in six consecutive matches and did not allow favorites Iran to defeat us.
“We were a team that was determined to win and in the end we achieved it. Apart from Arun Ghosh and Abdur Salam, we were a cohesive team who trained in Patiala for about a month before going to Bangkok.I am happy that the present generation will be able to learn about our games through these commendable efforts of AIFF,” Ali said.
Choubey said that there is a need to collect all the records of Indian football and its achievements over the years.
"The first football captain of independent India was Talimeren AO. Today very few people know him. As per records, he is from Assam. However, the fact is that he is from Nagaland.“I have recently spoken to the Chief Minister of Nagaland and he has assured me that the state is very serious about reclaiming its football heritage. To this extent, we are working on a biography of AO's life. We hope that this will not only help the people of Nagaland connect with the heroes of their past, but it will also be helpful for the entire Northeast to celebrate this hero of the region,” he said.
“We are working with FIFA on the creation of various academies across the country so that we can get back to that level once again. We have already started the AIFF-FIFA Academy in Bhubaneswar, and if football stalwarts like Arsene Wenger are involved in processes like talent identification and development, we will definitely be hosting the FIFA U-17 World Cup on merit basis soon. Can play,” Choubey said.“We can think of improving the present only when we draw inspiration from the past. But it is also a double-edged sword if we remain satisfied with the past, in that case we will run the risk of complacency,” the AIFF President concluded.
Choubey highlighted the importance of creating a wider pool of players to improve the level of Indian football.
The coach of the winning team, Arun Ghosh could not attend due to health reasons. His son-in-law received the memento on Ghosh's behalf.
IFA President Ajit Banerjee, President Subrata Dutta and Secretary Anirba Dutta were present.
Speaking on the occasion, the AIFF President recalled the achievements of the 1974 team, which jointly won the AFC Youth Championship after a 2-2 draw with Iran in Bangkok, Thailand, which went to extra time.Choubey said, “When I started my football journey, I had heard that 1970 was the golden era of Indian football. I would like to express my gratitude to Shabbir Da for reminding us of April 30, 1974, so that we can celebrate the 50th anniversary of this famous victory.
He said, “For 48 years after India's independence, we never focused on the FIFA friendly window, the FIFA World Cup or even cooperation with the world of football. As per the then policy decisions (1948 to 1998), we decided not to look beyond the Olympics and Asian Games.
“Did this vague policy of the then decision makers cause India to lose 50 years of exposure in international football when countries across the world were adopting FIFA norms and increasingly participating in the development of the game?
“We have started gaining momentum in the last few years.However, we have already lost those five decades, which is a long bridge when we know others are far ahead,” he said.
India captain of the 1974 team, Shabbir Ali, said, “I thank the AIFF and its President Kalyan Choubey for their efforts to honor the players who brought glory to India five decades ago. It was a fantastic tournament in which India remained unbeaten in six consecutive matches and did not allow favorites Iran to defeat us.
“We were a team that was determined to win and in the end we achieved it. Apart from Arun Ghosh and Abdur Salam, we were a cohesive team who trained in Patiala for about a month before going to Bangkok.I am happy that the present generation will be able to learn about our games through these commendable efforts of AIFF,” Ali said.
Choubey said that there is a need to collect all the records of Indian football and its achievements over the years.
"The first football captain of independent India was Talimeren AO. Today very few people know him. As per records, he is from Assam. However, the fact is that he is from Nagaland.“I have recently spoken to the Chief Minister of Nagaland and he has assured me that the state is very serious about reclaiming its football heritage. To this extent, we are working on a biography of AO's life. We hope that this will not only help the people of Nagaland connect with the heroes of their past, but it will also be helpful for the entire Northeast to celebrate this hero of the region,” he said.
“We are working with FIFA on the creation of various academies across the country so that we can get back to that level once again. We have already started the AIFF-FIFA Academy in Bhubaneswar, and if football stalwarts like Arsene Wenger are involved in processes like talent identification and development, we will definitely be hosting the FIFA U-17 World Cup on merit basis soon. Can play,” Choubey said.“We can think of improving the present only when we draw inspiration from the past. But it is also a double-edged sword if we remain satisfied with the past, in that case we will run the risk of complacency,” the AIFF President concluded.
Choubey highlighted the importance of creating a wider pool of players to improve the level of Indian football.
