Sunil Chhetri Blogs Why Indian Sport Needs Freedom From Its Own Baggage

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Freedom for me is to go out there and express what's inside you, to go and play on the field the way you've prepared, to be responsible for your game and to take losses in your stride.

As a professional sportsman, what is the most worrying factor for me in Indian football is the age-group fraud. This is really killing the sport. I just hope and pray that we can somehow get rid of it. I don't know which agencies are responsible for this evil to exist, but to have a 19-year-old play in Under-17s or to see a 16-year-old play in Under-14s is definitely hampering the growth of the sport at all levels.

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All of this has to stop. Not that India is a small place devoid of talent, or a small island struggling to play a full-fledged side. But we've got so much talent in our country. Not just in football but other sports as well.

All of us, right from the top layers of the governing authorities, to us players and those who train youngsters, all must follow strict guidelines to end this. We need to educate all budding athletes that something like this is simply not done. I believe with proper education, discipline and policing this can be achieved.

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The dangers of this is far reaching and damaging. Sample this, a 17-year-old who has aspirations of being a professional footballer, is aiming to outshine others on the field, will be tempted to play at Under-1 and Under-15 level. Understandably, he will be physically more dominant and will be noticed by one and all. To outperform in such a scenario is like a drug for him. He or she must understand that after a certain point, people will think that you're 3-4 years younger but you're not. Plus, the kind of improvement you can bring to your game will be stunted.

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Thanks to my upbringing and abilities, I didn't fall in this trap when I was young. I was fortunate to play for the senior national team at just 20 and from there on there has been no looking back. Partaking in age fraud may give you temporary happiness but it's going to jeopardize your career.

Don't stay in the past... move on

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Another thing Indian football must free itself from is its perceived history. If I'm an Indian fan we wouldn't gain anything by saying what happened before. Even if you score a great win, or lose badly, it is not going to have a bearing in the next game. Of course, you take back the lessons learn from the previous game but the fact is it's done and dusted.

Let's take pride in success of other sports

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I still don't know why people compare cricket to football. But the larger perspective should be - take pride in the success of sportspersons from other disciplines. If Sushil Kumar does well, it's a moment of pride for all of India, not just Indian wrestling. Same when Virat Kohli or Sania Mirza do well, it is a proud moment for us as well. We as a nation must realise that more the success athletes get, it's only going to do good for the country.

Direction more important than rankings

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Every country is playing the sport I play. And, every country is improving. So we must have a plan where we see steady progress. Better the rankings from 150 to 145, 145 to 141 and so on and so forth. Our next important target shouldn't be the FIFA World Cup but to become a top-10 team in Asia. We are ranked in the 20s in Asia right now and only if we reach the top-10, then we give ourselves the opportunity to target top-5 - who play the World Cup. Making it to the top ten teams in Asia is not going to be easy but it is a more achievable target.

Note: The views expressed in the article are writer's own | Images used are for representational purpose only