INDIAN football stands at acritical juncture where structural fallacies must be dismantled to build asustainable pipeline, according to Ranjit Bajaj, Founder and Director of Minerva Academy, Punjab. Speaking on the country’s football ecosystem during his visit to the city, Bajaj outlined key reforms ranging from early-childhood wiring to decent ralising talent hunting across the nation. On India’s recent 0-4 fixture against Brazil, Bajaj chose to focus on the technical composure shown by young Indian players.“The Indian boys played superbly.The ball control and possession shown by left-back Abhishek Singh Tekcham and centre-back Anwar Ali was amazing. Though we did not win the match,just the sheer experience was worth while,”Bajaj explained during a press conference on the sidelines of MayorCup Football Tournament organised by Aai Foundation. The match featured significant minutes for several Minerva Academy alumni, including Anwar Ali, Abhishek Singh Tekcham, Vikram Partap Singh, and Pramveer Singh, alongside national regulars Anirudh Thapa and Manvir Singh. Commenting on Tekcham’s duel against Vinicius Junior on the flank, Bajaj added: “Tekcham was completely dominating Vinicius Junior for long periods.

 

Players should get match time against the major football clubs and nations of the world ... this polishes their skills and makes them ready forreal-world competition.” Bajaj emphasised that player identification in India happens far too late compared to global standards. He explained that football requires cognitive wiring at the youngest age.“Football is not like other sports. It requires the brain to mold since childhood,”Bajaj noted. Asystemic issue,according to Bajaj, is the geographic centralisation of talent discovery across India’s 800 districts. “Only 86 per cent of players playing in major leagues like I League, ISL and national team come from just 23 districts. There are 520 districts that have never given an I-League player,” Bajaj said. Bajaj made amajor announcement for local footballers be for econcluding. “Ten residential seats will be exclusivelyreservedfor talented players from Nagpur at the main Minerva Academy campus moving forward,”Bajaj signed off. Abdul Rafique and Atul Pandit were also present during the presser.