The final episode of Let’s Talk About: Indian Football highlights a stark reality. The domestic game is trapped between a lack of professional infrastructure and a massive deficit in competitive matches. Abhinandan Sekhri speaks to Ishfaq Ahmed, head coach of Real Kashmir FC, and Pradhyum Reddy, fresh from coaching the Philippines U-17 girls’ national team, to diagnose the structural rot keeping India off the world stage.

Ahmed emphasises that the ‘spine’ of a footballing nation is its youth system, which in India is severely under-equipped. He points out that India has fewer than 100 pro-licensed coaches for a population of 1.4 billion, largely because the qualification process is financially draining. A coach must spend roughly Rs 18 lakh to Rs 20 lakh out of their own pocket to earn all licenses, often with no guarantee of a stable job. 

Ahmed argues that “a good coach can make one or two good players, and a not-so-good coach can destroy 10 talented boys.” He advocates a professional pyramid in which top-tier coaches are hired at the grassroots level, not just for senior teams.

Reddy, however, offers a contrarian view, noting that states like Maharashtra have many pro and A-licensed coaches but produce few players, while talent-rich Manipur and Mizoram have the fewest. To Reddy, the primary failure is “mileage”. While youth in developed football nations play 40+ games a year, Indian kids often play far fewer. 

He notes, “You can’t go to school for one day a week and expect to graduate... It’s about the number of reps they’ve had.” Without these games, he argues that players never develop the ‘football intelligence’ to compete at the highest levels.

Both experts agree that the current league structure is insufficient; Ahmed calls for a longer season to ensure 35–40 matches annually. 

But Reddy adds that “trickle-down economics doesn't work in sports,” suggesting that instead of waiting for the ISL to fix things, India must focus on hyperlocal “hotspots” like the Northeast and Kerala. He also dismisses many ISL players as “overpaid prima donnas”, citing a massive mismatch between their inflated wages and actual quality.

Finally, Reddy warns that rampant age fraud masks technical deficiencies. Over-aged players rely on physical bullying that vanishes after the U-17 level. 

Ultimately, the solution lies in more games, affordable coaching pathways, and genuine professionalism.

Watch this interview.