Kolkata: AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey feels India could have been a continental powerhouses in the game, had the focus in the past been on the World Cup rather than Asian Games and Olympics.
“From 1947 to 1960, India were the Asian powerhouse,” Chaubey said on the sidelines of a programme in the city on Tuesday. He went on to add that India might have missed the bus when they chose not to play in the 1950 World Cup.
“We didn’t play because India were hosting Asian Games in Delhi in 1951. If India had played in that World Cup, they would have faced the leading nations and would not have fallen behind,” Chaubey said.
“India’s interest in the World Cup grew after watching Maradona on television during the 1986 World Cup. But the golden period of the 1970s was over by then and we had missed the bus.” TNN