Sports, as a whole, has gained immense priority under the leadership and the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and it is with great hope that we look forward to the next 10 years, when India, under this vision, could become one of the world leaders in the sporting arena. India has successfully expressed its interest in hosting the 2036 Olympics, and in preparation and anticipation of this, the nation will undoubtedly have the honour of hosting various other prestigious international sporting events as well.
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A significant policy point
The Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 (National Sports Policy), which was passed by the Union Cabinet on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, marks a policy milestone in transforming the role of sports in building a Viksit Bharat. There are several aspects of the policy that, in my view, should result in much appreciation for Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, particularly from the perspective of football.
There is the five-Pillar approach of the policy in the context of football. First, sports excellence — the importance of the national team’s standing in the global arena and the work needed on that front. Second, sports for social development — the role of football in sports for development and inclusion. Third, sports for economic development — how football can contribute to industry and growth through events, manufacturing and jobs. Fourth, sports as a people’s movement — community sports. Fifth, sports in education — football in schools.
When it comes to the performance of the national team, there is one area in the policy which we have worked on actively — access to talent in India’s diaspora and I am happy that the policy has reference to the subject.
This is a positive statement of intent and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) will continue to work with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the government to do everything possible to strengthen the national team.
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The subject of OCI talent
For some years there has been a vociferous demand for the inclusion of players with Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cards in the national team. We have seen countries such as Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Middle Eastern Nations, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and those in Europe tap naturalised players with dual citizenship to strengthen their teams.
Some clarifications in the Indian context might be helpful at this stage. As in the FIFA Statutes, a player must hold a passport of a nation he or she wishes to represent and must produce it on match day. While an OCI card grants certain social and economic rights to an individual, it is not equivalent to an Indian passport. Given that India’s laws do not provide for dual citizenship, it is for India to strategise how it could capitalise on the opportunity to access the talent within the diaspora and integrate these players into the national team according to FIFA regulations as well as Indian citizenship law. The policy direction provides a ray of hope and we are intent on exploring it to its logical conclusion.
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Schools and football
At the grass-root level, the AIFF has plans in place to ensure the progress of talented individuals from eight years of age right up to the senior level. At the lowest age category (eight to 10 years) football has been made accessible for children. When they progress to the age group of 12 to 13 years, they are introduced to competitions. As they further move on to the U17 and U18 levels, they get high performance training and then on to the U18 and U20 levels, where the transition from youth to professional level. Such processes would not be possible without the help of facilities of schools, and we thank the Minister for Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, for having facilitated the alignment of the National Education Policy with the National Sports Policy.
Through the FIFA Football for Schools (F4S) programme, we have successfully made that link logistically feasible, bringing the beautiful game to over 1,53,000 schools — over 9,26,000 footballs are being distributed. This is how football is being made accessible at the U8 level.
I firmly believe that India’s National Sports Policy aligns with National Education Policy which will catalyse a new era of transparency, accountability, and inclusivity in Indian sports.
I would like to thank the Prime Minister for his vision to make Bharat a sporting nation.
Kalyan Chaubey is President, All India Football Federation
Published – July 07, 2025 01:12 am IST