India's football landscape is on the verge of a historic step forward as the Blue Tigers (e.g. the national team) will play a potentially huge international match against the five-time world football champions Brazil on October 3. And according to the big Brazilian media outlet GE Globo, the Selecao will play two international friendlies in Australia before going to Kolkata on October 3.
The groundwork for Brazil's trip Down Under is already in place: games against Australia on September 25 in Townsville and against Australia on September 29 in Brisbane have been set up and the two are on the agenda. While a high-profile match was expected to take place in Kolkata in October (not yet confirmed) but ESPN Brasil had already teased it with a big friendly game on the way and some speculation about the nature of the match with the Blue Tigers but now it seems that the Blue Tigers are certainly now the target team in this historic match.
It is thought that discussions surrounding this dream match were particularly intense as the Brazilian national team were widely supported by Indians in their World Cup campaign and Indian fans came to support the team and the Brazilian team at the same time. Throughout the tournament, videos and pictures of passionate Indian fans in the yellow and green Brazilian jersey that were so much of a cultural match-up with the Brazilian fans became a big deal in Brazil and in turn, the two football-loving nations became very popular.
The possibility for this match has historical ties with Brazilian football in India. Pele, who is one of the greatest players to ever step onto a football pitch in India, has visited India twice in his career; in 1997 with the New York Cosmos, and played a historic match with Kolkata's legendary Mohun Bagan club, and left a lasting mark on the local sporting landscape.
In the last decades the bond has been strong through many high-profile visits and direct participation in the Indian leagues. Ronaldinho and Cafu have delighted the Indian fans in exhibition all-star games and the Indian Super League (ISL) opened a new door to direct engagement. Roberto Carlos, who was part of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup-winning team, was a key player and manager for the Delhi Dynamos in the tournament as well. In 2007 Copa America champion Elano Blumer stormed onto the field and won the ISL Golden Boot, while legendary players like Zico and Lucio left behind their memories as managers and players with FC Goa.
If the match goes according to plan it will go down in Indian sports history as a momentous evening. And for millions of dedicated fans throughout our country who will witness the Blue Tigers playing in front of one of the most competitive teams in sport history they will be in luck. More than the grandeur it will also serve as a benchmark for Indian players and coaches to assess what they need to do to be able to perform well in the top 10 global football clubs.
