India, June 20 -- In addition to providing a comprehensive overview of the responsibilities and functions of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) president, last Friday's media conference prominently featured statistics to illustrate the changes that have occurred since September 2022, as well as those that have remained constant. Given that data is often referred to as the new oil, this is commendable.

The conference highlighted that India's goals scored per match have decreased, while the number of goals conceded has stayed relatively stable, despite the fact that there have been three head coaches from 2015 to the present. The AIFF's polished presentation elaborated on the strikers selected by Stephen Constantine, Igor Stimac, and Manolo Marquez to emphasize that all three had chosen the best talent available.

Acknowledging the shortage of Indian strikers, president Kalyan Chaubey discussed the necessity for dialogue regarding a challenge that predates the Indian Super League (ISL). (Throughout 20 seasons of the I-League, which included its time as India's premier competition, there have only been two instances where an Indian player ranked among the top scorers.)

The AIFF president's proposal to limit the number of foreign players could adversely affect Indian clubs, especially now that the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has relaxed restrictions on foreign players in continental tournaments. This suggestion also comes more than two years after Stimac had advocated for limiting the roles of strikers and attacking midfielders to Indian players exclusively.

However, similar to the statistics concerning the men's team, numbers do not always convey the complete story. For example, the claim of organizing 1697 matches in a single season is insignificant if the men's national under-23 team hardly competes - evidence of what could be accomplished with more playtime was demonstrated in Tajikistan, where two stoppage-time goals were required to secure a victory against a 10-man India - the top tier of the women's league consists of only 14 matches, the under-17 I-League can be clinched by participating in 15-16 matches, while the men's elite level typically involves around 30 matches, with the off-season being as lengthy as the season itself.

In nearly thirty years of national leagues, the AIFF has failed to extend the season. For comparison, consider this:
Read Also: Caitlin Clark’s Candid Reflection on NBA Finals Game 6: “I Wish…”
Get the latest Bollywood entertainment news, trending celebrity news, latest celebrity news, new movie reviews, latest entertainment news, latest Bollywood news, and Bollywood celebrity fashion & style updates!