The Elephant on the Pitch: Football in India ft. Siddhanth Aney and Siju Mathew

THE FOOTPOL PODCAST

Most people associate India with cricket. And yet the country has a long and rich history with football, based mainly in India's periphery rather than its Hindu heartland. Guy and Francesco talk to journalists and podcasters Siddhanth Aney and Siju Mathew about the origins of the game from the end of the nineteenth century and  India's relative regional success in the 1950s and 1960s. Despite the game's subsequent decline, football  gained a new lease of life from the 1990s and especially since the establishment of the Indian Super League since 2014 - although Siddhanth and Siju express mixed feelings about its structure and the lack of consultation with India's legacy clubs and organisations. They also discuss India's international prospects and the state of the women's game.

Siddhanth Aney is the co-host of 420 Grams and Siju Mathew runs the Totally Indian Football Show where you can learn more about football in this fascinating country.

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