Where is our Messi? Why Indian football needs a Neeraj Chopra moment

India has millions of football fans. By some accounts, it’s 138.7 million, according to Nielsen’s 2024 data. By other accounts, it’s 350 million. Whatever the real figure, the fact remains that a majority of Indians are not watching our domestic league, the Indian Super League (ISL). They are watching leagues thousands of miles away. 

While the rights to broadcast European tournaments in India are worth $40 million, the valuation of the broadcast rights for our domestic club tournament, the Indian Super League (ISL), dropped by 97 percent from last season. 

Why is there such a mismatch?

To unpack this crisis of interest and investment, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri sits down with Ranjit Bajaj, the founder and owner of Minerva Punjab Football Club and a staunch advocate of grassroots football, for the second episode of Let's Talk About: Indian Football. Bajaj argues that the crisis in Indian football is a matter of quality and the talent ‘pipeline’. He believes Indian football is obsessed with the results of the senior team while ignoring the youth tiers that feed them.

“You want to break into the top 8 in Asia,” Bajaj insists. “Are you in the top 8 at the Under-16 level? No? What about Under-19? Still no? Under-23? No again. Then how do you expect to make it in senior football!”

He also describes a predatory, petty administrative culture in which funding is treated as a reward for existing success rather than a tool to create it. 

Turning the lens on the fans, Bajaj highlights the bitter irony of the Indian consumer, admitting that even he is susceptible to the pull of elite quality. He says, “There is a match between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Unfortunately, I'll be watching Barcelona vs Real Madrid and won't be watching my boys. Why?”

Abhinandan observes that “One Messi puts Argentina on the map. One Ronaldo puts Portugal on the map.” Without a domestic hero of that calibre, Indian fans have no anchor at home.

Bajaj remarks, “If we ever find an Indian with the calibre of Messi or Ronaldo, my work is done. I will retire that very day because my work is complete. He will take over the work; he will be inspiring others... If one of our own achieves it, our entire mindset changes. Then, we don't look back.” 

“Let me give you an example... Ten years ago, if you walked down the road with a javelin, the police would have locked you up. Today, there are ten Indians throwing over 80 meters, all because of Neeraj Chopra. One Indian declared, ‘I can do it,’” he adds.

Indian football needs a Neeraj Chopra.

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Produced by Ashish Anand. Video editor: Satish Kumar.

[00:00:00] 

[00:00:00] Intro: 138 million football fans, but they are not watching the ISL. They're watching a league 7,000 miles away while the rights to broadcast European tournament. In India are worth 40 million US dollars. The valuation of our domestic broadcast rights collapsed by 97%. 

What's behind the mismatch? 

Let's find out.

This is, let's talk about Indian football in this episode. We are joined by a face familiar to many of you 

[00:00:33] Ranjit Bajaj: today. We are playing for 1.5 billion people. Today we are gonna get the trophy. Who are we? Who are you? 

[00:00:42] Intro: Ranjit Bajaj is the founder and owner of Minerva Punjab football Club and a staunch advocate grassroots football.

Under his leadership Minerva won a historic 20 17 18 Eye League title. His academy has produced over 240 [00:01:00] international level players and has won against academies of giants like Barcelona and Manchester City. In 2025, his youth team achieved a world first European treble that is three cups in one single season.

[00:01:16] Abhinandan: Hello and welcome to the next in our series on let's talk about Indian football. So Ranjit Bajaj is with us. Thank you Ranjit, for joining us. Lately I saw a foreigner making fun of the Indian contingent at the Winter Olympics where he says that the largest population in the world has sent two athletes to the Winter Olympics.

'cause while we are recording this, two or three days ago is when the Winter Olympics opening ceremony happened. And he said, uh, and don't tell me India's a hot country. 'cause I know they keep boasting about the Himalayas. The Himalayas are there. So it is also has certain parts that are called, and then he goes on to say, well, what do you expect if they cannot even.

[00:02:00] Make one football team to the World Cup qualifiers. I appreciate you taking out the time. I know you have a very heavy schedule. You are teaching some very talented kids football. Uh, I have senior Academy in, uh, Punjab, which is a, I guess a, a. A, a passion project. It has a, an aspect of the love for the game, and that is because you have been a player who has represented India internationally in the under 19 series.

And now you have set up an academy and double up as its administrator and coach. 

[00:02:34] Ranjit Bajaj: Yep. Thank you first so, so much for having me and such a pleasure. Um, and a big fan of the show from a very, very long time. No, thanks. Thanks. Especially of News Laundry and what the great work you guys have been doing. Um, see, uh, the, it's about, especially because you will know news.

That it's about status quo. Mm-hmm. The moment you try to change status [00:03:00] quo, people have a problem. Because when you're trying to tell them change, status quo means get out of what you are doing. Now, that means something which is not normal for you. That means out of your comfort zone. 

[00:03:09] Abhinandan: Mm-hmm. 

[00:03:10] Ranjit Bajaj: So the moment you are trying to tell people to get out of the comfort zone, they have huge problems.

And, and when someone is actually successful, when they actually do it. So, uh, there are a lot of people who have just been proven wrong. So they don't even accept that they wanna still pull you down. 

[00:03:29] Abhinandan: And you're talking about administration? 

[00:03:30] Ranjit Bajaj: Yeah, I'm talking about sports. So the politics, uh, and sports is exactly the same, unfortunately in our country that there is more politics in sports than actual sports.

That is why our sports are like, is like this. 

Hmm. 

Everything in sports is about. Being there in the front, in front of the athletes. If you saw, uh, there's a very famous name which keeps on going around. He was going to give the prize away to Sunil three, [00:04:00] and, and the trophy was being given to him as the captain of India.

And obviously he's gonna be taking the trophy in from front of you and, and the chief guest was not coming. So he actually put Sunni shifted him on the side. 

[00:04:12] Abhinandan: Mm-hmm. 

[00:04:13] Ranjit Bajaj: Not knowing that he's there. He's not the most important person on the field. It's 

[00:04:17] Abhinandan: the recipient 

[00:04:18] Ranjit Bajaj: of the award. Exactly. So this entire sports culture in our country has not changed because, and you 

[00:04:22] Abhinandan: think that meme typifies.

How 

[00:04:24] Ranjit Bajaj: treated exactly. It's, it's, it's like a kodaline post. So if you go to a, so in Punjabi where the kodaline means it's the worst posting you want to have as a government officer. 

[00:04:32] Abhinandan: Mm-hmm. 

[00:04:32] Ranjit Bajaj: So if you want a punishment posting, punishment posting is sports. That is a huge punishment for all the sports people.

[00:04:39] Abhinandan: Mm-hmm. 

[00:04:39] Ranjit Bajaj: Because the person who's coming there thinks it's a punishment posting. So for him, everything he will do will be with kuck and disregard and contempt for the entire system, not even wanting to go there. So, and unfortunately, even the administrators, even if it was, okay, fine, you know, I want to be administrator for whatever reason.

Even if you, if you wanna be doing corruption, but that should be your [00:05:00] full-time job now. It should not be your only, it is like, you know, I am, um, a minister of this, or I am a billionaire and I have 18 companies and I have. 10 NGOs and I have, uh, this Formula One team and I have a cricket team and side football.

Oh. And I'm the president of A IFF. You can't do that because you are the president of something which is running the livelihood of millions or thousands of, uh, and the future of millions and currently thousands and thousands of footballers then. Well, 

[00:05:32] Abhinandan: the potential in football is in the millions.

There's no doubt why, for example, 200 countries play football. 

[00:05:38] Ranjit Bajaj: Yes. The. 

[00:05:40] Abhinandan: Amount you can generate from football from district level to state to Nashville is cricket. Cricket is nowhere near where that can cause, 

[00:05:47] Ranjit Bajaj: nowhere 

[00:05:48] Abhinandan: don't, or doesn't countries play cricket? 

[00:05:49] Ranjit Bajaj: People don't understand 

[00:05:50] Abhinandan: the power of is football 

[00:05:51] Ranjit Bajaj: the, oh my god.

[00:05:52] Abhinandan: Economic might, uh, uh, soft, uh, power might, you know, one messy put Argentina on the map. Yeah. One Ronaldo puts, you know, [00:06:00] Portugal on the map. So I 

[00:06:00] Ranjit Bajaj: wanna know from you from this message by which cricketer in India. Has got so much variation with Messi. God. They name one. You talk about Ulka who spent 10,000 rupees just for UL's wave.

[00:06:12] Abhinandan: Mm. True. No one will get that 

[00:06:14] Ranjit Bajaj: kind or 85 La rupees for a selfie with ulka that 

[00:06:19] Abhinandan: you're 

[00:06:19] Ranjit Bajaj: actually, so you have to understand that. The fandom is of a different level. So first of all, 

[00:06:24] Abhinandan: and which can be monetize from economic reasons, 

[00:06:26] Ranjit Bajaj: and I'll show it to you, I'll prove it to you. So this, there was a study done, which is, you know, is, you can um, Google it.

So they're talking about football, uh, the fans in India, cricket sports fans. So then they came up with obviously cricket being number one. Apparently there are 650 or seven 50 million. Cricket fans die hard, so that means 75 crowds. And then when we went to cricket, uh, other sports, I thought, okay, B 30, 40, 20 million Ong.

There was misnomer football was three 50 million. And I said, how the hell I, I mean, I'm there, I'd, where the hell are these three 50 million people? Ka Hong three [00:07:00] 50 

million.

Three 50 million. They were 35 million Indian football fans, but they were 325 or 35 million. Indian European football fans. That means fans who are Indians living here, but they don't, they don't even know. If you ask them name the 11 people in the Indian National team. I guarantee you they will not be able to say it.

But if I tell them whatever their favorite club is, Manchester United Liverpool, name the lineup, as in Real Madrid lineup, they will already line up. And even the reserve team, they will name. 

[00:07:34] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:07:35] Ranjit Bajaj: And they will be, they are learning Spanish because they are following Madrid. Okay. And they go every single weekend to a pub where they spend over five, 10,000 rupees.

You understand the kind of people who are following football, the kind of people who are willing to spend 10,000 rupees for a messy wave. Why messy? Because Indians love to follow what is world class. 

[00:07:56] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:07:57] Ranjit Bajaj: You ask me. There are, [00:08:00] I, we, so we'll come to the Bio Academy later, but suppose there's an Indian Senior national match happening, uh, of any club.

I'm talking about any club national team is, so like a quick club. We talk about A BFC or a moan bag, or East Bengal. They'll at least be four or five of my boys from my academy who are in the team there. And at the same time, there's a match between Barcelona and Royal Madrid. Unfortunately, I'll be watching Barcelona and Rail Madrid.

I'll not be watching my boys. Why? Because as a coach 

[00:08:28] Abhinandan: you wanna 

[00:08:28] Ranjit Bajaj: see football at that level. I, yeah. And I'll, I'll be able to learn much more from there. Exactly. And you know, not there, 

[00:08:35] Abhinandan: but that's actually, you know, 'cause I compulsively watch football, you know how far, far I am. Yep. Uh, a month or two ago before the whole ISL fiasco happened, there was some matches that were overlap.

Still 

[00:08:46] Ranjit Bajaj: happening. They're 

[00:08:47] Abhinandan: still happening, yes. Was 

[00:08:48] Ranjit Bajaj: still 

[00:08:48] Abhinandan: happening. Yeah. There were, there were some overlap matches between either a Bunes Liga or a La Liga or a English PRI league, and I would often switch 

[00:08:57] Ranjit Bajaj: Super Go, and I 

[00:08:59] Abhinandan: would say [00:09:00] by God, the quality difference is so. So huge, it's stuck. And I was like, dude, four touches.

It's out, four touches, you lose possession. The con 

[00:09:08] Ranjit Bajaj: and even the touches and the quality of touches in the first touch, and even the, even if the passing, the speed of passing, everything looks amateur 

[00:09:18] Abhinandan: and all this can be fixed just by having a ground up approach. 

[00:09:22] Ranjit Bajaj: And I, I, I'll give you an example. So, so you've, I've established that I can have a stadium where if, suppose this is a Messi, who's an Argentinian, who's that good?

Suppose there's an Indian, who's that good? Imagine what the Indians will do for him. 

[00:09:34] Abhinandan: Yeah. 

[00:09:35] Ranjit Bajaj: He'll be a God and what 

[00:09:36] Abhinandan: he will do 

[00:09:37] Ranjit Bajaj: He So he'll be a God that means he'll. So first is that that, I mean, if you reach there, then my work is done. I'll retire that very day. 

[00:09:48] Abhinandan: Hmm. '

[00:09:48] Ranjit Bajaj: cause my work is done. He'll do the work, he'll be the one inspiring.

He'll inspire everything. He'll do 

[00:09:53] Abhinandan: have to.

[00:09:57] Ranjit Bajaj: Prove one of us has to prove to us that, okay, [00:10:00] oh yeah, we can do it.

Then we don't, we don't look back. For example, 1983 World Cup. 

[00:10:09] Abhinandan: Ah, correct. 

[00:10:12] Ranjit Bajaj: I'll give another example. NRA Chopra, I keep on saying this now. NRA Chopra, college boy, and I've seen him actually train in where we used to be training for football and unfortunately we used to be training right before him or after him, and we used to be, you know, saying what the hell is, but he dalin people keep on coming and row the same pitch

even with the short parts and all. 

Okay. 

So I really am, thank God we didn't tell him to stop in because the Grand 

Uras, I said, we will go and do the DITs and oh my God. Mm. 

Um, he got it. But 10 years ago, if I was on the road, or

what is the meaning of [00:11:00] this, there are 10 Indians with throw by 80 meters now 10 because of one near. One Indian said I can do it. 

[00:11:07] Abhinandan: And, and this is also, uh, you know, um, I dunno who was asked. This is when I was in school or college. Uh, an Indian, uh, commentator was, no, no, sorry, anus. Australian commentator was asked, why does Pakistan only throw up pace bowlers and Indian throw up batsman?

It's 'cause Pakistan. Imran K. Establish that. So there you'll have a, you'll have a show. Everybody wants to be him. It says here you had a Sunil Kar who without a helmet would face the Western Indian bowlers. Everybody wants to be Sunil Skar. So there you have a, you will have sat. One person, like you're saying, what's happened in Niraj?

Exactly. And now everybody, there's so many guys throwing over it. So now there are two ways of looking at this and, uh, you know, Ranjit, you have been in this space as a player, as a coach, as an administrator, maybe not a state level, but you know, running regard as an administrator, [00:12:00] 

[00:12:00] Ranjit Bajaj: uh, 

[00:12:01] Abhinandan: of your 

[00:12:01] Ranjit Bajaj: academy. No, no, no, no, no.

At the, at the national level, at the highest level. But as like in, you know, in England and Australia you have, uh, shadow ministers. 

[00:12:11] Abhinandan: Okay. Right. 

[00:12:12] Ranjit Bajaj: Underst I was a bloody shadow 

and I was making sure 

that they're doing their job properly. So I've basically not been into that, but I've seen all. But you've been so, 

[00:12:19] Abhinandan: so you've, so now policy prescriptions, let's take some big picture policy prescriptions.

And I'm gonna, in the end also, I want the youngsters who are watching this for football's sake, another's sake. I want you to give some tips also for young players. We come to that at the end. There are two ways of looking at it, you know, is SL level league al it should be so good, Bahar players LA that everybody watches it and it creates some sort of an ecosystem.

It hasn't worked, I personally not sure how it will or empower states and local at a such, such a level, like a Rangi and you know, like in ra, local football is really active. And then from there give it 4, 5, 6 years. And then Calendarize what is the way of going about 

[00:12:59] Ranjit Bajaj: it? [00:13:00] So number one, it is not rocket science.

And it is actually one of the easiest things to do in the world. Why? Because the poorest African countries are getting into the World Cup. The infrastructure, the countries like Ghana have, or like Nigeria have not. I'm talking about now because the money was coming. I'm talking about just 10 years, even earlier, five years ago, 2030.

Is 10 times worse than India, they are still producing players. No, they say about genes. Genes, genes. See, if India was not getting any sporting accolades in any sports, I would say, okay, fine. Our genes suck. Okay? Mm-hmm. But in every sports we are in the top, just name it, top five in the world. We have been there in the last 10 years.

Me, badminton, or B. B table tennis. B. B, tennis. We won wrestling. Also, we've done welling, main wrestling, boxing, weightlifting,

boxing, [00:14:00] wrestling, or weightlifting. My metal.

But his father went to New Zealand. He's now a taxi, uh, grocery store.

He says, football, pun football, cricket killed New Zealand jacket football. You can become something because even this much good and as a Asian, you'll make it correct. So he says no. So obviously the sun won and he started playing football. He got in the under 15 New Zealand team. Got in the under 17 New Zealand team, which played in the under 17 World Cup, then got in the under 20 World Cup with New Zealand.

He played so well there. He got a, he got a four year contract with Bay and Munich. 

[00:14:50] Abhinandan: Wow. 

[00:14:51] Ranjit Bajaj: And right now he's playing in the, some other European top division league, but Sri Sing played for two and a half years for Bayan Munich after, [00:15:00] uh, his father, he was born in New Zealand, but his fa two years after his father immigrated.

So Ari problem.

Yeah. Where there are more sheep than people. Yeah. 

[00:15:17] Abhinandan: It's not exactly the correct. 

[00:15:18] Ranjit Bajaj: Yeah, bro. Yeah. So rugby or cricket, that's the only two things I've heard about. It's not like 

[00:15:22] Abhinandan: German, 

[00:15:25] Ranjit Bajaj: so that means you know, you're going there and making it as an Indian. That means problem. Now if you look at, now, I'll come to the rail Crux of the problem.

Problem is yes, winter Olympics may, you gave that example and we've been hearing it. Did Soro did Soro did. So road.

So let's come to facts. This is a very good study done by a friend of mine, coach called Richard Hood. So study is known as the birthplace effect. This is a phenomenon every sport. Uh.[00:16:00] 

Pun

who will be producing buddy batsman by the dozens or whatever. You know, there is something in that place which somehow is doing it. So I was talking to Igor Tmac and who was the. Our former national team coach and I was, you know, trying to show off to him that you know, match and say they've been two.

The only two Olympic gold medals are from my city, from my Exco ra Chopra. Do you know where I live in Croatia? And, uh, my, just my. Colony, which is one and a half square kilometers. My suburb, we have 42 gold medals. 

[00:16:46] Abhinandan: Are you serious? 

[00:16:48] Ranjit Bajaj: Yes. He says we have 42 gold medals and just the capital city has won 90 gold medals.

Croatia.

And [00:17:00] I was just shocked. 

[00:17:01] Abhinandan: That's a birth effect. 

[00:17:02] Ranjit Bajaj: So now that's no, that is about the culture and the genes starting from there and winning once, and then everyone believing that we can do it and then dedicating their life 

[00:17:12] Abhinandan: to 

[00:17:12] Ranjit Bajaj: that towards just one thing. So, so birthplace effect, Makia, we have over seven 50 districts.

85% of all internationals in India have come from just 23 districts. In India in the last 30 years, 23 districts, my brother, out of 740, whatever districts we have, they produced 85% of the players. So if you total the population of these things, mm-hmm. I'll tell you the five states which are so football, kaha football, healthy scientist.

Mm. Gee. So you have to see from, so baby football,

not you and me start playing a [00:18:00] Sunday football. So this is only in small states like Misra and like Manipur, and that is it. Then you go on to Goa. Very, very small state compared to the population. Then you go into Punjab and again, Punjab only two districts or three districts only. Not, not all of it, no.

And then you say Bengal, no. Only Calta, then you say Mata. No, only Mumbai because you are killing Ola. You go to a Ola match, local match. There are 45,000, 50,000 people watching a local college match, but none of the boys get out from there and go there. Same thing happened to me when I was under 19 football of India.

J CT was the biggest club there. JCT shut down. I played for hundred 19 and there was no JCT, so I had to make a decision. If I want to play football in my life, I have to either go to Calcutta or I have to go to Goa. So I said no, because I didn't, I was not a superstar. I was going to go and establish my under 19th ana.

[00:18:57] Abhinandan: Mm. 

[00:18:57] Ranjit Bajaj: Establish myself or not establish [00:19:00] myself. Rista. 

[00:19:00] Abhinandan: Yeah. You don't know which one 

[00:19:01] Ranjit Bajaj: will. 

[00:19:03] Abhinandan: And also 

[00:19:04] Ranjit Bajaj: it's, 

[00:19:05] Abhinandan: and it's not, football was such a pro prospector, so high today, also the prospects under there. 

[00:19:09] Ranjit Bajaj: So it was, it was just a no go. So Donny was a goalkeeper. 

[00:19:15] Abhinandan: Is that right? 

[00:19:16] Ranjit Bajaj: Yeah. 

[00:19:17] Abhinandan: How 

[00:19:17] Ranjit Bajaj: interesting. And he, he said it openly that if there was facilities there in, thankfully for India, there were no facilities in jargon.

[00:19:23] Abhinandan: Mm. 

[00:19:24] Ranjit Bajaj: Leander was a. And the reasons they didn't make it was because there was no platform for them. And I mean, it's a great thing, but I'm just saying, imagine the number of millions of Messies who are already there in India, but not making it just because there's no access to grounds or playing or coaching or anything like that.

Or they'll 

[00:19:44] Abhinandan: give up in fact, just, uh, 

[00:19:46] Ranjit Bajaj: talent by nurture. 

[00:19:47] Abhinandan: Five days ago I saw a video. In fact, harken did so well in the Klo India. Yes. They, they won gold. 

[00:19:54] Ranjit Bajaj: I because tribals. Mm. So they, I went to this community there for trials. [00:20:00] I saw these photos and I saw these boys are looking like African young boys see y Indian community yesterday.

What do you mean? These are the Africans who came 2000 years ago. 

[00:20:12] Abhinandan: Okay. 

[00:20:12] Ranjit Bajaj: So they, and they're still there, but they're Indians. They speak Hindi. Everything is Indian, but. They're African perfect 

[00:20:18] Abhinandan: genetically. 

[00:20:19] Ranjit Bajaj: Yeah. So they, they're tribals, they can run and they are. So there's a big huge community there. And even in Gujarat.

And even in Karnataka, that's why the 

[00:20:26] Abhinandan: Jaran team does well consistently 

[00:20:28] Ranjit Bajaj: at international. Oh my God. And even now in hockey. Now, I'll give you another example. So that's where the one 50 growth theory goes outta the picture. That you don't, you're not there in one 50 Goby. It's 

[00:20:38] Abhinandan: not evenly spread 

[00:20:39] Ranjit Bajaj: across the country.

Yeah. So it's not, it's not at all. But it's in the districts where it's there, for example, in Mal. It's a district of Punjab, ur, but I'm talking about ur, which is a village in that village. Around that village there are four, so Google, it is a study in Indian Express where me here, 400 football grounds and stadiums in and around [00:21:00] Ur.

[00:21:01] Abhinandan: So that's where they'll throw a place. So you, so what you're saying is the, the bottom up approach is a must if we need to 

[00:21:07] Ranjit Bajaj: nurture it's the only way 

[00:21:08] Abhinandan: that 

[00:21:09] Ranjit Bajaj: is the other. So what you were saying right now, now that you know, you get all the good players from ISL income, Jo, I also have a cricket academy. I was also into cricket and you can't be very far from cricket living in India.

[00:21:18] Abhinandan: Mm. 

[00:21:19] Ranjit Bajaj: The boys who could not make my first team or my state team. And my team was pretty good. So state, almost like a state team. But if you didn't make my team, they, they are making the international teams of other countries cricket. Cricket in cricket. So the ones who didn't make the district teams here are in the US team or in the UA team on this playing for in the World Cup.

Same way. Who the hell do you think the footballers are here? 

[00:21:44] Abhinandan: The ones who couldn't make it. 

[00:21:45] Ranjit Bajaj: And the coaches are here, 

[00:21:47] Abhinandan: so if you have a Spanish player here, she could make it there. He'll make it here,

[00:21:54] Ranjit Bajaj: class,

first class. 

[00:21:59] Abhinandan: And that [00:22:00] is not gonna lead to new talent coming. So it has to be bottom 

[00:22:03] Ranjit Bajaj: up. And it has to be not five, six years. It is gonna be from the day you start minimum one to one decade away. See, I'll, I'll tell you why it's not rocket science and. People, you know, keep on saying, I shouldn't say this because it's killing my own business, but that's, I'll keep having a business only with Indian clubs.

What I mean by that is we produced, Minerva has produced 248 internationals in the last 10 years. Tata Football Academy had produced 1 24 and 25 years. We produced 2 48. Now, Tata Football Academy shut down. That means since FC opened up, Tata Football Academy has not even produced one player. The only think they should have.

They've got better coaches now. More money. Everything is more, they should have produced more players. Yeah. No, all that budget went to the senior team, so there should be not one Tata, one Minerva. If I have produced more players, 2 48, just understand the number. That is more than the total of all other ISL clubs.

I league clubs and academies in India put together on one [00:23:00] side. I have produced more and I'm not proud of it. That is why we are here, because if they were a hundred million. Places like us, 

[00:23:10] Abhinandan: that'd be, 

[00:23:12] Ranjit Bajaj: you 

[00:23:12] Abhinandan: would have, you would have so much talent to choose from and 

[00:23:14] Ranjit Bajaj: automatically, and that is why

she was saying, you know, now it's not even a career. I don't. Totally disagree with you there. It's a career.

So, you know, engineer Van,

he's got the highest package of 4.3 cr, which is oh huge. My 22 year Ali, who's from a per who used to live next to a railway line in a chopper party because his parents were goat herders. At 23, he's earning 4.8 carats a year from East [00:24:00] Bengal. 

[00:24:01] Abhinandan: So that is, 

[00:24:02] Ranjit Bajaj: but is he good enough to earn 4.8 carats? If he goes abroad, what will be his salary?

Not more than three, $4,000 a month. 

[00:24:09] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:24:09] Ranjit Bajaj: And he's earning 45 lacks instead of three Lacks a month. Why? Because

ly But ha. And would've found for the, he just walks into the national team because he Is that good? 

[00:24:23] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:24:24] Ranjit Bajaj: He's not that good because he's son of God, he's that good because he started playing in Minerva from the age of 10. 

[00:24:30] Abhinandan: So the earlier you start the, so 

[00:24:32] Ranjit Bajaj: basically you have how

we are already four years behind. By 15, they know Max Dalman is playing for England right now. And for Aal LaMi Neal is playing for Spain and for, um, um, Barcelona. Barcelona. So is, so is Rodrigo. All these guys are. You really think the marriage problem is are with I, I totally believe with our Indian Super League clubs and our league clubs and all the people [00:25:00] who are going in for senior titles, who are all so.

Right. It's the thing. So the, they're the Raja, so they want to have the best teams 

[00:25:19] Abhinandan: a a and, and 

[00:25:20] Ranjit Bajaj: everywhere in US billionaires. Billionaires, they have 

[00:25:22] Abhinandan: the teams. Yeah, sure, sure. And they start buying it. But, but if you see the history of the Al Madrid Barcelona rivalry, it is that the Royal Madrid team and then the miners and, and 

[00:25:32] Ranjit Bajaj: the miners, 

[00:25:33] Abhinandan: the miners at, we'll take on your team.

It was like a LA type. So 

[00:25:36] Ranjit Bajaj: why was, why is he, why is football? You name one sport where I will have to follow whatever my father's club is like. It's my fucking religion, man. 

[00:25:48] Abhinandan: Religion, yeah. Football 

[00:25:49] Ranjit Bajaj: is like that. Where will you have any sport? Show me how many sports have the tattoos of their clubs all over or have ultras who are willing to murder each other.

Murder each [00:26:00] other for a sport. 

[00:26:00] Abhinandan: Football's fanaticism is of the next 

[00:26:02] Ranjit Bajaj: level. I, you can divulge your wife 

[00:26:04] Abhinandan: even, 

[00:26:04] Ranjit Bajaj: even you will. I mean, suppose I'm a Barcelona, I'm a Barcelona fan. My kid goes and falls in love with real method. I will leave the family. I'm not kidding. You know that it, that game, 

[00:26:13] Abhinandan: NBA also doesn't have that kind of fandom and that has serious fandom.

That's, that's, 

[00:26:18] Ranjit Bajaj: this game is such a leveler that. Even the richest teams lose to the poorest 

[00:26:23] Abhinandan: teams. Poorest teams. 

That's 

[00:26:24] Ranjit Bajaj: true. That is why this game is this. And that's in India has become the opposite because there are only rich people clubs. 

[00:26:28] Abhinandan: Exactly. And also that, but that also is, that system is a disincentive for football in general.

[00:26:34] Ranjit Bajaj: Right, because the rich people trying to get the trophy. They're all trying to buy the best players. Mm. There's no one selling the players because there's no one producing that every month. 

[00:26:42] Abhinandan: There's no market, 

[00:26:43] Ranjit Bajaj: there's no buying and selling. 

[00:26:44] Abhinandan: It's, it's not a larger marketplace. 

[00:26:45] Ranjit Bajaj: So there's no Lester City. 

[00:26:46] Abhinandan: So what you're saying is you have to create a marketplace 

[00:26:48] Ranjit Bajaj: Yes.

[00:26:48] Abhinandan: And then start buying. 

[00:26:49] Ranjit Bajaj: Yes. So unless an, until academies are incentivized for producing players, why will somebody open up an academy? Hmm. And unless you have a hundred, a hundred Mineva, [00:27:00] you will not have enough players. You will have just me and two or three others who are producing the players, and we will just be here.

Why am I saying this open? Because tomorrow I wanna sell to Real method or to Barcelona. Yeah. See what happens is till the age of 15 we compete with the best in the world. Then there's a huge drop. 

[00:27:18] Abhinandan: Exactly. 

[00:27:19] Ranjit Bajaj: Yeah. 'cause there is no competition level after that. 

[00:27:22] Abhinandan: They stop. 

[00:27:22] Ranjit Bajaj: They just stop 

[00:27:23] Abhinandan: getting any better.

And I've noticed this, you know when I travel to Europe, I see the same player here, plateau. And they're just, because they have to push themselves because exactly. The talent keeps happening. The, now the other thing is the, you know, we have another, you know, 20 odd minutes. I just wanna give it 10, 10 minutes.

And the last I'll ask you for, you know, some short term, you know, bullet points and long term 

[00:27:45] Ranjit Bajaj: I, this, it's, it's by, it's like overnight. It's not rocket science. I'll just, I've got them down, so tell 

[00:27:51] Abhinandan: me. 

[00:27:51] Ranjit Bajaj: Yeah. Okay, so how did, let's, let's not reinvent the wheel. Okay? Okay. Like I said, it's not rocket science.

You don't, people say you need money, you need [00:28:00] investment. No, you don't. 

[00:28:00] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:28:01] Ranjit Bajaj: 90% of the team of France World Cup this time has been produced from a suburbs or Paris. How many football fields are there in the suburb of Paris? Zero. What are their basketball courts? Cement. These little kids, migrant kids, grew up playing bigger kids in small spaces and they learn how to control the ball by the age of 10, 11, 12, while playing on the street.

So Jabari Gies, may Cricket Football, Vega or Ham. So the nursery is the streets. Okay, so now what do we need now? Cricket. How do Cricket do it?

Now no one asks where's the next oli? Hmm. Why? Because our grassroots system is so strong that even my district, um, association has a super Soper. So Super Soper is a machine which gets the water outta the ground that machine's cost two corals. Each district has a super Soper. [00:29:00] So that is the level of the grassroots of India in cricket, that we can produce three teams in test one day and that, and all three can be world champions.

[00:29:08] Abhinandan: Mm. 

[00:29:08] Ranjit Bajaj: Because we have, we are reaching to every Donny who wants to be a cricketer 

[00:29:13] Abhinandan: and he has 

[00:29:14] Ranjit Bajaj: a, and we are not reaching, we are not being able, I am not being able to reach to a Donny who wants to be a goalkeeper. He was a goalkeeper and same way ger leaner Pi. I'm not being able to reach to him. Cricket. It is.

And they're getting it now. What is happening now? So. The change is gonna come. Now we are gonna have the largest middle class by 2030. The US has the largest middle class right now. They have 12 sports, which are as big as each other. For example, even now, WW is a sport as big. But let's go to golf. Let's go to MLS, let's go to basketball, let's go to National Football League or Hockey league, or you go to um, um, nascar, or you go to Formula One.

There's a market for each and everything. There's no national sport there. There is baseball, but there's no national, national sport because everything has a following [00:30:00] because middle class has aspirations and the kid will want to do whatever he's got access to. Right now, they're becoming cricketers because parents can see, you can see it's about now livelihoods.

Until the eight nineties, parents were okay to send their kids to sports. 

[00:30:17] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:30:17] Ranjit Bajaj: Government. Yeah. In the two thousands corporations, when the privatized were government, they were only contract jobs in for sports quota. Because of that, parents didn't want anywhere near sports. They didn't want them to go because sportsman other than cricket.

Q Cricket may, under 19 cricket, you are earning 10 la rupees a year. If you are earn, if you actually state level cricketer or ran level cricketer, you are earning one cor quarter a year minimum if you are paying over 10 matches. Just on just a add-on fees, which the BCC has added. This time, the spec for playing 10.

So 

[00:30:54] Abhinandan: the financial incentives in place there is accessibility. That combination is what football needs. 

[00:30:59] Ranjit Bajaj: Yes. [00:31:00] And then just making sure. You have a plan in place, so Japan has a hundred year plan. And I will send it. You can put it up. There's a hundred year vision. They are 30 years into the vision and they're 10 years ahead of where they should have been and they'll reach the World Cup.

Their a hundred day vision is to be, be dominant and be number one. So that means they're planning for their grandkids, kids, people who they'll never meet in their lives. They plan for them. What is our planning? Al World Cup Al?

[00:31:32] Abhinandan: They are irresponsible 

[00:31:33] Ranjit Bajaj: promises, which are not possible. If you say to us and board, oh, he played, oh, he didn't have a good Olympic. No, no, no. He didn't have a good Olympics knee. He didn't have a good four or eight years before the Olympics. The Olympics, it happens to Abena RA's thing. When you go out to Abin bin's center, it says the Olympic doesn't happen every four years.

It happens every day. Just the culmination of that efforts is every four years, so matter, final exam. [00:32:00] So this, if you are gonna be good, you can't just seriously be good in football. Okay, fine. I've got a world class team, but I have never, this team has never done well at a under 16 level. Can't be possible.

So first you have to see under 16 a, f, c, world Cup up, up under 16, under 1923. 

[00:32:23] Abhinandan: That's, that's, that's a very important measure. And you know what you said about, there's no incentive right now. This is so telling from that one ad, which I, I think both of us are around the same age. Hmm. You know, when we were, I guess between the ages of six and 12, 13.

Cinema. There used to be this one ad of Tata, we make champions, we also make steel. Yeah. Tata. Yeah. Basically they showed all the sportsman that have passed out of the Tata, this thing that Tata. So, and last thing was this fire, steel and technical. We make champions, [00:33:00] we also make steel. The whole ad was about the sportsman that come out of the Tata Steel company.

And that we make steel was an afterthought. 

[00:33:09] Ranjit Bajaj: And not only that, it 

[00:33:10] Abhinandan: was, that was the 

mentality. 

[00:33:11] Ranjit Bajaj: It was every PS u Air India had the best hockey and football teams. 

[00:33:15] Abhinandan: Mm-hmm. 

[00:33:15] Ranjit Bajaj: By far. And not only that, you had Punjab police, you had, I mean, and, and then you go to where, uh, IM Vision was brought up. The Kerala police team, I mean, they were great institutions and they were short because one decision was taken that you cannot have PS the moment you didn't allow psu, you.

Kill jobs. You killed all the in one go. You killed all the jobs. And that 

[00:33:36] Abhinandan: actually did have a proliferating effect 

[00:33:39] Ranjit Bajaj: of sports. Huge effects. 

[00:33:40] Abhinandan: Yeah. 

[00:33:40] Ranjit Bajaj: Now because we've got see

independence generation education.[00:34:00] 

[00:34:00] Abhinandan: That's 

[00:34:00] Ranjit Bajaj: the him. Why? Because we worked our asses off. Because our kids should have those choices, have options. 

[00:34:07] Abhinandan: Sure. 

[00:34:08] Ranjit Bajaj: Now, when he wants to say, I wanna be a footballer, and his parents know that. There's no future. They will not. It's the parents. It's got nothing to do. People don't understand if your parent do not want you to do something, if your father or mother has, is dead against whatever you're doing, he'll make it impossible for you and not be able to do it.

Simple as that. Mm-hmm. They control your lives, but if they see that, okay, fine. The future is there and this kid can go far and we should give them every opportunity to shine. Hmm. See, it's, um, when you say that you've got. Uh, 150 crowds, let's reach out to the 150 crowds. Let's give them equal opportunity and all sports.

Yeah. India, me reservation, bcs, all these things we have given them reservation for. Why, why is the reservation given to these people for a reason [00:35:00] that they're the weaker class? Because they, they haven't had opportunity for generations. Yes. And we want to give them more opportunities because they're not equal to everybody else.

Sure. Can you come in the top eight in the Olympics? Yes. Okay. We'll fund you. Can you be a champion? Yes, you can. In the top five, we'll fund you.

They'll never be champions. You Chopra does not need your tops and your cos and your multibillion dollar, you not need you. He's made it. He's got a hundred other sponsors. So in 

[00:35:31] Abhinandan: sport, it's the opposite of 

[00:35:33] Ranjit Bajaj: affirmative action conservation. We need to do that in sports. We need to take the downtrodden out of the downtrodden place because by giving them subsidies, kana, and giving them exposure, thinking that they will come last, they'll keep coming last.

Hmm. You have to give them exposure. The Cricket team did not win the World Cup for the first time. They participated much before that into other World Cups. They've been [00:36:00] playing and playing and then, 

[00:36:03] Abhinandan: and also while, you know, our audience knows I'm not a fan of cricket, that we should also put on record that dozen countries in the world play cricket.

Exactly. I mean, it's not like 200 countries are 

[00:36:11] Ranjit Bajaj: playing cricket. Yeah. And you've got more countries 

playing football than you have in the un. 

[00:36:14] Abhinandan: Right, exactly. 

[00:36:15] Ranjit Bajaj: So you've got 210 countries in FIFA and you've got N 1 94, 1 95 in the un. 

[00:36:20] Abhinandan: So 

[00:36:20] Ranjit Bajaj: it's now something which you are judged by the entire world. Now it's become an athlete.

So what happened was. In so suppose we had a history. Kv never did well in football, so again, I'm trying to reinvent the wheeler, make fire and try to make new things because this fire is not a good, I'm trying to make a new thing, which is better than fire. Don't try to reinvent fire because Indians have been damn good in football.

Until 1970s, we were beating France 1960s. We were, we came fourth in the Olympics. We beat Australia and Australia. If you don't think that's a big deal, we were gold medalists in the Asian games. We beat Korea, South Korea, man, [00:37:00] in the Asian Games final in 1960s. So what else proved Do you need that? We were that good.

We were that good. So what happened 1970s and eighties? According to me, football and hockey, same time had a downfall. 

[00:37:14] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:37:15] Ranjit Bajaj: Not only US Pakistan Also. Why? Because from being a skill based game, it became an athlete based game. You became sports science, nutrition, halftime, give break, halftime. Not only us, you go to Manchester United.

You talk about, when you're talking about the great Bobby Jordan and all those guys. The thing with sports science, well, halftime peja, they used to have tea and cigarettes. So there, the men's locker room used to be full of smoke and tea happening there, and now it's sacrilege. 

[00:37:45] Abhinandan: Yeah. 

[00:37:46] Ranjit Bajaj: So from having ni hydration, nutrition, recovery slash science becomes 

[00:37:51] Abhinandan: science 

[00:37:51] Ranjit Bajaj: based.

Oh my God. And that's, and the developed 

[00:37:53] Abhinandan: countries have an edge.[00:38:00] 

[00:38:10] Ranjit Bajaj: Back on the world map again. 

[00:38:11] Abhinandan: They 

[00:38:12] Ranjit Bajaj: made such 

[00:38:12] Abhinandan: a phenomenal facility 

[00:38:14] Ranjit Bajaj: there. Eight stayed by, they had the World Hockey League, bro. Bro, they made 400 turfs all over Ora. Mm-hmm. 50% of the women's team is now from Ora. Imagine that. 50% because every kid who go out in his district place in a turf. Now why did India get left back in eighties?

How many turfs did we have in India? Two in eighties we had two. Germany had 500, 600, and they were winning. Netherlands had all that. And how many do we have here in thousands now, every college of ours has a hockey of man. Every college 

[00:38:49] Abhinandan: SOA alone could do this. What 

[00:38:50] Ranjit Bajaj: could call the states together Exactly.

Imagine the power of one ex bi maru state. Mm. And the kind of thing the facilities they had made, there were world [00:39:00] class, world standard. I mean, it was just amazing to see what Indians can do when we get our mind to it. Now that person was responsible for this vi Neil Krishna. Has now been posted in S so I'm really, really happy.

So instead of something, so instead of, you know, this government problem and BJP and all that happening and shunting somebody else, somebody with the right mind somewhere said, okay, mine, this guy's too good to lose in this political battle. Let's put him here s where he can actually do something. So he's been there.

For the last one and a half years inside. Hopefully, if he's able to implement the same things there. On a national level, we are golden because we just see it's in India because it's not one, it's a massive behemoth. The kind of power we have, and if we decide to do something football, nothing can stop us, but it needs to come from the highest level the day.

I truly believe the day we have a prime minister, they see, they don't understand. Why is Jay [00:40:00] Sha in cricket and why is he not the president of A IFF? '

[00:40:04] Abhinandan: cause all the monies and VCs. Yeah, all the influences there. 

[00:40:07] Ranjit Bajaj: Forget money, money though. They don't need to go to cricket to get money. 

[00:40:11] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:40:11] Ranjit Bajaj: Okay. The power, the soft power, and the control of the masses.

[00:40:16] Abhinandan: ICC, 

[00:40:16] Ranjit Bajaj: masses, masses control, correct? Cricket, oh my god, is religion. So you control the words, you control everything. I mean, you can narrative this, that India World Cup. Everything is with you in the world. Where is it? Football. Football. Who is the president is right? Who can? Who is the only can Isha walk into Trump's office?

Can Infantino? Yes. Every single time, any day he wants. Can Infantino walk into the Shaikh's office there in Saudi? 

So all the presidents of all the bloody countries, even from Putin also, you can walk in, I mean, you can walk into Putin's 

[00:40:52] Abhinandan: football is too big the world over. 

[00:40:54] Ranjit Bajaj: Yes. And that is a real power. So when these politicians realize that if you wanna be world power now be something in football.[00:41:00] 

Because cricket is, again, like you said, 12 countries, man.

Ah. Then it's 

[00:41:07] Abhinandan: exactly. 

[00:41:08] Ranjit Bajaj: You wanna be a player in the world thing. You have to. That's why they're trying to now see, I wanna host the Olympics. We wanna be a world player in sports. We wanna do this. 

[00:41:15] Abhinandan: Well, I think for that first you gotta clean out the air quality here, but. Yeah, but, but before we, you know, wind up, I wanna give at least five, seven minutes to those of our audience youngsters who want some tips on football.

You know, we've spoken about administration, we've spoken about the potential of football, economic, political, narrative, building, soft power. Just talk to some of our football lovers who wanna play. Okay. What, what can you, I know it's unfair to ask

[00:41:48] Ranjit Bajaj: Maggie, 

[00:41:51] Abhinandan: so tell us what we can do at home to improve. So, 

[00:41:54] Ranjit Bajaj: number one, uh, football is all about overloads. That means when I say overload means, [00:42:00] that means having more of your team. Suppose when you're playing against a team of eight men or nine men and they get red cards, a huge disadvantage. 

[00:42:07] Abhinandan: Right? 

[00:42:07] Ranjit Bajaj: So basically it's an overload that if they're supposed on one side there are two, you're supposed to have three, and then you can overload them.

[00:42:12] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:42:13] Ranjit Bajaj: Suppo. So what we, what we are, what I'm doing when I'm working with my teams, trying to make them compete with the world's best, which we are now doing, which I will take the last two minutes of that of course, is trying to make them ambi extra. That means have making them have a left and right. Hmm.

That means there are two players. Because if you have one player, then they just need to cut off your passing in. From one side. The 

[00:42:32] Abhinandan: options double up where you can treat 

[00:42:33] Ranjit Bajaj: the body. Everything doubles up. I've got 22 players there, man. 

[00:42:36] Abhinandan: Mm-hmm. 

[00:42:36] Ranjit Bajaj: So get both your feet working and how to do that. People keep on saying, I've never seen a billionaire son becoming a legend in football.

[00:42:43] Abhinandan: Mm-hmm. 

[00:42:45] Ranjit Bajaj: All the footballers who've come. So don't keep on saying, I do not have any money. I do not have a facilities, I do not have any coach. All you need is a ball and a wall. You need to practice your first touch. A thousand passes a day with your left and right. [00:43:00] From two meters from a wall, then one meter from a wall, then then going, sorry, one meter, two meters, three meters.

Keep going for the back till you get more, more confident. And after that, that is all you need. What is football? Football is control over the ball. If you have control over the mastery, over the ball, you are golden. That is the only thing required in football. Then once you've got that, that's when you start working on your stamina and your speed and your scale and your strength.

[00:43:22] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:43:23] Ranjit Bajaj: And that is it. So, so, so suppose Japan is not trying to go and look for the tallest Japanese guys. They are in Japan, or the Sumo players to become Japanese. We are trying to do the opposite, trying to look for big Indians. No, Portuguese doesn't have big people. Mm-hmm. So the big best players in the world are the smallest from Mei two.

Uh, Maradona to U-C-A-B-O, they're the smallest, right? So you've got to understand that football is a game where it all depends on what you do with the ball, and your ball has to be your best friend. If you spend enough time with the ball alone, not in a team alone, before you go onto the field and [00:44:00] start making those habits permanent.

Otherwise, it is too late because. What you have in your body is something known as myelin. Myelin is produced between the ages of six and 15. The maximum, uh, it's your fast twitch movements. 

Mm-hmm. 

[00:44:16] Ranjit Bajaj: So your fast twitch movements are all reaction. So when they say decision making, a chi IR. You think actually he has time to think about it.

That okay, if he's passed to me now, the perfect pass is if I put the ball there, then that guy will make that run and he will reach, no, he's done that a million times. It's an automatic, 

[00:44:35] Abhinandan: it's a condition reflex 

[00:44:36] Ranjit Bajaj: because in the peace are Ari footballers because.

Because,

so all of us, so when we have those grounds, like Ora has in every place, then you learn to will pass because they have competence [00:45:00] in passing, right? So see that comes after you control the ball. But what we are doing in India is we are trying to do it the opposite way. Instead of having a pyramid, we have an inverted pyramid.

That means the pe, the players, and the money and the infrastructure available at the top is great, but the bottom is zero. There's nothing available. So it's like you are driving, uh, in the Formula One track. Like it's like ISL is like watching a Formula One, but. Mo Mati 

[00:45:32] Abhinandan: and the one, everything 

[00:45:33] Ranjit Bajaj: is like the Premier League.

Okay. Except that, 

[00:45:34] Abhinandan: and the one thing I, you know, I've witnessed a lot of football. I've watched the SGA Cup, uh, in Singapore where there were two teams from India that had gone. They're from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, local teams, the Australia. I've gone to Europe and seen the one thing that I think, um, a big problem with US Indians, and that goes for people of our background, is Ranjit, the way the coaches could speak to their [00:46:00] players.

There another foreign coaches are. Indian.

Exactly. And that the confidence that the coaches had that when I tell the kids, come here, you will do this, you will do this. They will listen.

Singapore, I Australia. And that is, and I just saw, and I felt so bad, the confidence with the, the coaches dealt with their players and the confidence with the Indian coach dealt with the players was so different. 

[00:46:33] Ranjit Bajaj: Totally. And this is the reason. Now, see, I'm telling you, India's having a huge problem right now.

I, at my, when I was growing up or you were growing up, I did not even hear of one person committing suicide because he got 99.8%. 

[00:46:47] Abhinandan: Mm. 

[00:46:50] Ranjit Bajaj: Suicide. 

[00:46:51] Abhinandan: Why? 

[00:46:53] Ranjit Bajaj: They used to be games. In all our lives we have played sports. All of us. Doesn't matter, good or bad, [00:47:00] sports, hard to play. It teaches you to lose every single day.

It teaches you to lose, get up, go next day without having a problem, losing a again, and knowing that you will lose and still playing and trying your best. 'cause one day I'll beat him. 

Mm-hmm. 

And then also knowing that. Sports is something which will teach you discipline, like you said, which will teach you hard work, which will teach you effort, which will teach you loyalty, which will teach you social adaption, leadership, all these qualities which come and stay for life.

They are not qualities. Yeah. Their life skills. They're life skills. Yeah. So that's what we are missing. ASAM has made sports and elective subject football and elective subject. Mm-hmm. So see we need to follow those kind of rules where sports is not just one of the things. Once a week it is. Essential. As essential as maths and science.

Actually, even more. 

[00:47:46] Abhinandan: I completely agree with you 

[00:47:47] Ranjit Bajaj: even more than that. So unless there's that systematic change from the entire education where they start thinking like this, that unless you are fit human, I'll give you an example. If I make you run, it doesn't matter how bloody intelligent you are, I make you [00:48:00] run a hundred meters or 50 meters really, really fast, and then I ask you 225 into 25.

And even if you are the best calculator human person in the my brain, you will not be able to do it because this no oxygen going is hundred. Mm-hmm. And if you're sitting there, I'm there and asking you and you know exactly, you'll be able to do it. Focus. 

[00:48:16] Abhinandan: Correct. 

[00:48:17] Ranjit Bajaj: So it actually depends on how intelligent you are, how much you'll make it in life, how much your health system is gonna get screwed because you're not fit.

How much problems you're gonna have now because of the pollution, if you're not fit, is even gonna be more. All these things, sports is something which gets you over all of them. 

[00:48:32] Abhinandan: And you know, it's so interesting. When I was in Europe, I was, I went and, you know, spent some time at some of these clubs and academies and you know, I had gone to both the UK and in Germany and in Switzerland.

One fascinating exercise I saw at more than one place, and I came and told the coaches this, and I asked them, you know, why do you do this? They said, this is for decision making. They make them juggle the ball or they'll be given a task. With the ball. [00:49:00] And at the same time they'll be asked questions like he was saying, and I'm like, is this for what?

This is? Like? He says, no, this is so that even as this guy's controlling the ball, he has an awareness for decision making. Exactly. Which is very important to play as a team, which is why you see such individual skill brilliance that I've seen on Indian grounds here. Unfortunately, in the Delhi. In Delhi, I saw three years ago on that rubber turf.

At 42 degrees boys are 14 age playing football. This was a district level or state level, and I felt even worse for the referees who were given Uri alu in a plastic packet to eat there between matches that they were being asked to referee. I felt really. The, the referees are staying there, eating plu from there.

Then if I was a referee, I would've kicked one of the children, you know?

Exactly. 

[00:49:57] Ranjit Bajaj: No. See, see, I'll tell you. So what did we [00:50:00] do? What we wanna do is, like you said, the whole thing started from getting the first person Indians to believe the first mammal of India. 

[00:50:08] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:50:09] Ranjit Bajaj: The entire Egypt just follows one country, one club now. Yeah. And do you know that the name Mohammad is the second most popular name in Liverpool?

After Liverpool being most racist society towards Muslims in England for over 40 years, all because of one man. He changed the way the. Gora looked at, looked at that Hammad, the entire name, man. I mean, you just imagine that. So that is how powerful for Paul. So, and on top of that, if a club knows, you will sell more shirts than Ronaldo.

[00:50:39] Abhinandan: Mm, exactly. That 

[00:50:40] Ranjit Bajaj: is such a. 

[00:50:41] Abhinandan: The economic 

[00:50:42] Ranjit Bajaj: decision of that, my God, you'll not only sell more shirts the next day, you will, whatever your numbers are in your Instagram, you will be adding a hundred million to that, 

[00:50:50] Abhinandan: correct? Yes. All 

[00:50:51] Ranjit Bajaj: the, you don't understand the power. So why do you think Ronaldo is now being signed?

Now? It's for the brand. 

[00:50:56] Abhinandan: Mm. 

[00:50:56] Ranjit Bajaj: The brand. India is too big to leave out, so it's gonna [00:51:00] happen. Now who's gonna make it happen and how is it gonna happen? We've, so there has to be a plane. So you see anything without. One is a wish, and if I say I'm gonna get India to the World Cup in 2034, that's a plan. But I'm not a IFF and nor do I have a plan to be getting into administration.

So how do I get there? Because these guys keep on screwing it up. The day we have 10 Indians playing in the Champions League, that is the day we will get into the World Cup. Japan has the one, the best leagues in the world, but none of the international Japanese players play in any of the Japanese clubs.

Same. South Korea is one of the best leagues in Asia. The Japanese and South Korean Iranian clubs always win the Champions League In Asia, none of the, even the Iranian players have got so many sanctions play in Iran, they play in Germany, second division, or they play in Europe. Some play first division and they play all.

But when they come back, 

[00:51:48] Abhinandan: they've learned all that. They've brought it back with them. 

[00:51:51] Ranjit Bajaj: So we have how many Indians playing in the World Cup Zero. In the champion league. Zero. Zero. How many girls do we have playing two. So we've got this girl, girl, Avi, Avi [00:52:00] casting, who's playing, and then we've got Manisha Callan.

But. We have 10 Indian girls. That's why I say the girls will reach the World Cup much faster than men, much faster than the boys. And, and so kudos to them because that's in spite and despite of our system of making sure they don't get zilch. In fact, the um, the kind of what we give them, they should be in the one 50th region, whereas they are kicking ass of the men every single day.

I really wish, you know, we had, forget anyone. We can just actually support them. They'll be there in 10 years. That's how good our women are. But. Come see why that's happening, because these women are not getting any money here. They're forced to look outside for opportunities. They're going in playing Europe.

That's why they've got so good. Our men are too comfortable. They're getting, they're not leaving the comfort zone.

Why should I take the risk and why? So 

[00:52:54] Abhinandan: that osmosis of skills is 

[00:52:55] Ranjit Bajaj: also, and on top of that, why? Because sports is a [00:53:00] way of live support me. So it's not about their decision, it's about can I take this risk and risk my family's thing. After all, my family's invested in me, buy money per.

[00:53:20] Abhinandan: And then 

[00:53:21] Ranjit Bajaj: he would lift us out family. So he can't 

[00:53:25] Abhinandan: risk that cannot, 

[00:53:26] Ranjit Bajaj: that pressure is too much, cannot. And you can't even tell him to risk that. And why would he? I wouldn't if I was in his place. 

[00:53:30] Abhinandan: Sure. 

[00:53:31] Ranjit Bajaj: But if you have enough people there and you got enough livelihoods for then 

[00:53:35] Abhinandan: pure numbers, the average would work out.

It's someone with the other way go. So

[00:53:42] Ranjit Bajaj: together. Ma, he was playing in the Euro League. So Al is a goalkeeper, has played primarily all his life. Oman National team, captain tha he played in this club called Ty back where the same route this guy was taking, done the hard work, got into the team after two and a [00:54:00] half years playing in the Euro League, Bangalore FC.

Saw him, we got him back to the

almost. One person 

[00:54:12] Abhinandan: and then the rest can 

[00:54:13] Ranjit Bajaj: follow and everybody else will follow. It's just about one person saying, okay,

[00:54:21] Abhinandan: so I hope people out there who make decisions are listening. The soft power of Bollywood cricket, two tongue combined cannot match the soft power of football. If India can become world power in football, like Ranjit said. Every president will be forced to meet you. Doesn't matter whether you have an appointment or not, but thank you so much for your time, Ji, and I hope the youngsters also learned a thing or two from someone who runs.

The leading football academy in the country. 

[00:54:51] Ranjit Bajaj: And please, just before we go, um, we are going now, we won the, one of the three biggest tournaments in the world with my under, with my four [00:55:00] teams. So under fifteens last year we won the World Youth Cup in Sweden and we won Donna Cup in Denmark. We won the Norway Cup in Norway.

No Indian team had done that before. No team in the world had gone and won all three. They're known as the biggest tournaments in the world. 

[00:55:12] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:55:13] Ranjit Bajaj: We are very lucky to have been invited now to the Mik Cup, which is the military International Cup. 

[00:55:17] Abhinandan: Nice. 

[00:55:18] Ranjit Bajaj: This is the same cup where this gentleman, uh, played in 2001 and 2003.

[00:55:23] Abhinandan: I see. 

[00:55:23] Ranjit Bajaj: This is the same cup in which LaMi Neal played in 21 and 22 as a 16-year-old in the same category. We are playing in under sixteens. 

[00:55:31] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:55:31] Ranjit Bajaj: So we really need help from everybody. So we, 

[00:55:35] Abhinandan: so there is a link. There's a link. We provide a link under this interview to Ranjit Academy's page. Get involved, contribute.

I know many of you have offered in many different ways to help out news, laundry, and many other people we've had here. Please click on the link. Let's get Indian football on the map. If others aren't willing to do it, let's try to do it in our own way. Thanks, Ji. Pleasure. 

[00:55:59] Ranjit Bajaj: [00:56:00] Always be. Thank you so much.