'Sleeping Giant' Or Stuck On Snooze? Gianni Infantino’s India Claim Rings Hollow

Last Updated:February 24, 2026, 23:48 IST

Infantino calls India a “sleeping giant of football”, but with a 141st world ranking and a 15-game winless streak, the gap between FIFA’s investment and results remains glaring.

It’s getting harder to take Gianni Infantino seriously.

The FIFA chief has once again labelled India a “sleeping giant of football", a line he has repeated often enough to sound rehearsed.

The trouble? The numbers tell a very different story.

India are ranked 141st in the world. They have failed to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup for the first time since the tournament expanded to 24 teams. And the national side hasn’t won a competitive match since November 2023 — a 15-game drought that points less to potential and more to prolonged stagnation.

At club level, the structural cracks are just as visible. The top division has 14 teams, yet offers only 13 matches per club this season. That’s barely half a serious competitive calendar. Development doesn’t thrive on limited exposure.

For a nation of 1.4 billion, the gap between ambition and achievement remains glaring.

Still, Infantino insists India is central to FIFA’s long-term global blueprint.

“I have previously spoken of India as a sleeping giant of football," he told TOI. “With FIFA’s ultimate objective being to make football truly global, we need to prioritise growth and development in the country."

As he marks a decade in charge, Infantino continues to emphasise grassroots reform.

“In my time as FIFA President, I have always emphasised that football starts from the grassroots level; the level from which truly sustainable development flows."

To be fair, FIFA has invested. Through the FIFA Forward programme, Football for Schools and the Talent Development Scheme, overseen globally by Arsene Wenger, India has received funding, technical expertise and structural backing.

When Wenger visited India in 2023, he was emphatic:

“Football is the number one sport in the world, and a country like India, with a population of 1.4 billion, of course, has to exist in this world, and that’s why we are here."

The rhetoric is lofty. The investment is real. But until results follow, the “sleeping giant" tag feels less prophetic and more punchline.

News sports football 'Sleeping Giant' Or Stuck On Snooze? Gianni Infantino’s India Claim Rings Hollow

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