Trinidad and Tobago kicks off a debate

By John Cheeran
Trinidad and Tobago has qualified for the World Cup football finals to be held in Germany next year. So what, you might ask.
Yes, there are quite a few things remarkable about Trinidad and Tobago’s achievement.
It is one of the tiniest nations in the world to make it to sports world’s biggest theatre. Entry is limited to 32 nations by Fifa for the Cup of Cups.
India, big in size and bigger in population, has so far failed to make it to the final round of the World Cup.
So is China, the crouching tiger from Asia.
So size doesn’t matter? Is it?
China, however, has better Fifa ranking than India. (India are ranked 132, while Trinidad and Tobago’s ranking is 53)
Whenever India’s sporting achievements are discussed and dissected blame has been put on the doorsteps of cricket grounds.
The commonly held theory says cricket’s overriding popularity has made it difficult for other sport to flourish in India.
But how strong is that theory?
In three Indian states –West Bengal, Kerala and Goa – football is still the number one game. There should not be any doubt that their combined population should be more than that of Trinidad and Tobago. It is quite possible that these three states’ soccer fans might outnumber the population of some of the qualifiers of the football World Cup.
So there should be no basis for blaming cricket for Indian football’s despair. There also should be no reason to bemoan lack of supporters for the game in India. There are sufficient numbers, but I admit not to outnumber cricket fans.
After all it only takes 11 good players to win a football match. Unfortunately India is not finding 11 good players to beat the best in the world.
Now look at Trinidad.
My first links to that country has been thanks to cricket, thanks to C.L.R James.
Many Indians may not be able to name even one player of the Trinidad and Tobago team that has made it to World Cup. But majority of Indians know about Trinidad’s greatest son—Brian Lara.
So If Trinidad can make room for Lara and Dwight Yorke – the 34-year-old striker who led the Caribbeans to the World Cup finals – why cannot India make room for icons other than Sachin Tendulkar?
A giant of India is ranked seventh among the 12 one-day international playing nations. Tiny Trinidad and Tobago, just a small component in the West Indies, that amazing cricketing coalition, has beat off the competition to be part of the Elite 32 out of 200-odd nations.
West Indies are struggling as a cricket team.
Now a part of that coalition has achieved more than its sum.
Will smaller nation, and therefore fiercer nationalism, can lead to sporting success?
That’s a big question, indeed.