Indian football fans relish rare friendly against Brazil in Kolkata

KOLKATA – India welcomes football royalty on Oct 3 when the national side play Brazil, with local supporters hoping the blockbuster friendly will give the game a lift in the cricket-crazy country.

The match at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium will see the hosts, ranked 138th, take on the five-time world champions, who boast global stars like Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr.

The first such visit by the Selecao has generated a lot of excitement in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal state, where football enjoys a passionate following.

“This is such a football match that every player wants to play, and I think playing against Brazil for India is historic,” All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey told local media.

The game has drawn some criticism after the AIFF withdrew India from the ongoing FIFA ASEAN Cup to prioritise the visit of Brazil.

Subsequently, India were replaced by Bangladesh in Group B, which also included Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.

India, a country of 1.4 billion people, have never qualified for a World Cup and trail the football elite by a considerable margin in terms of quality.

But officials hope the high-profile fixture can help attract new followers.

“Football fans have shown a lot of excitement about the match,” Chaubey said.

“I would want that through this match, the football-loving people of India benefit and they come forward and connect more with football.”

Fifth-ranked Brazil are coming off the back of a win and a draw in a friendly double-header in Australia, and are looking to rebuild following their shock exit to Norway at the World Cup in July.

They are next slated to visit Singapore for matches against Asian giants Japan (Nov 14) and the hosts (Nov 17) at the National Stadium. Paraguay, the other team in the Mizuho Blue Challenge – The Kallang Football Series Singapore, meet the Lions on Nov 13 and Japan on Nov 17.

The Brazilians have not won the sport’s premier international competition since 2002, a barren run that has provoked soul-searching in a country used to such success.

Although their men’s teams have never played each other, the women’s sides of Brazil and India faced off in the Brazilian city of Manaus in 2021.

And Kolkata got a taste of the big time when Brazilian legend Pele visited in 1977 and 2015.

Aside from Vinicius, Brazil’s squad to Kolkata will also feature Paris Saint-Germain captain Marquinhos and Arsenal duo Gabriel Magalhaes and Bruno Guimaraes.

Barcelona attacker Raphinha and Chelsea’s forward Joao Pedro will miss the trip because of injury.

For India, the clash represents a rare opportunity to test themselves against one of football’s traditional powerhouses.

“It is an extremely important match for us,” said forward Rahim Ali, who plays for Odisha in the Indian Super League.

“We are playing such a big team, it will be a very tough match, but once we step onto the field it’s an 11-versus-11 game.”

Fan Raj Kahar told AFP that he was “excited” at the prospect of seeing Brazil’s stars in person.

“These matches are all about testing waters, whether we can match teams like Brazil or not,” he said.

“This will give us a sense of whether in future we can make it to the World Cup or not. So this is a good opportunity.”

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti has warned against treating the contest as an exhibition, insisting there is “never a friendly game” for a team in a period of transition.

India head into the match following a 1-1 draw with 46th-ranked Panama in Bengaluru last week. They will also face Uruguay in Kolkata on Oct 6.

Former India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia said the money spent on hosting Brazil could have been better used on grassroots sport and athlete development.

“If the Bengal government is going to pay or try and raise money for this match, please raise it for Bengal to have the next few gold medals in the Commonwealth Games,” Bhutia said.

“We are trying to bring the Olympics here (to India). Try and have Olympians from Bengal winning medals there,” he said. “Don’t waste it for one 90-minute match.” AFP