Laddo ya maro: Indian football exports Romeo and Gurpreet must resist the urge to return

“You will never be entirely comfortable. This is the truth behind the champion – he is always fighting something. To do otherwise is to settle.” ― Julien Smith, author of T he Flinch. Champions are driven by the fear of defeat — by factors they cannot control but want to — by proving their mettle when outnumbered. This drive will vanish as soon as there is a plan to fall back on — a comfort zone you know is waiting for you. Footballers Romeo Fernandes and Gurpreet Sandhu are outnumbered in Brazil and Norway respectively. They also have a plan to fall back on: the fact that a club and contract in India is waiting. But these are two players who made history by becoming the first outfielder and goalkeeper to play competitively for a foreign club in the top tier — and now face the battle of staying back and resisting the urge to return to the safety of home. Gurpreet, who plays for Norwegian club Stebaek, already pointed out in an earlier interview with _Firstpost_ that he chose to turn down more lucrative offers from Indian clubs to stick it out in Norway for almost a year before eventually getting a break — rising from player with potential to the first team’s backup goalkeeper in the process. [caption id=“attachment_2256226” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Gurpreet Sandhu has spent a year at Stebaek Facebook[/caption] While Gurpreet is on a full-time contract with Stebaek, Romeo is not. The winger, who was recommended to Atletico Paranaense by the great Zico, is on a loan deal in Brazil. He made his first team debut two weeks back and is on a loan deal which was originally from March to June with an option to extend till December. And even though FC Goa have named him in the list of players they have retained for this year’s Indian Super League, it is understood that his future is still unclear. A source close to the player told us that his extension clause will be decided by Atletico, Dempo and the player before it is finalised. However, if it is up to Romeo to choose between staying in Brazil or returning for to India, he must choose the former. “I will take a call on that later. The facilities are excellent no doubt,” he told Firstpost. “He should extend his stay in Brazil — you have to make certain sacrifices to rise. Even when I spoke with Gurpreet (Sandhu) he told me that he would rather stick it out (in Norway) — and see he got his chance so I think he should stay as long as possible,” Armando Colaco, who coached Romeo for six years and gave him his big break at Dempo, told Firstpost. Colaco, who won three I-League titles with Dempo, took Romeo under his wing between 2000 and 2008 — also pushing Dempo’s management to increase his allowances because of the sheer potential he displayed. Romeo played about 20 minutes which he described to us as: “I had a one-on-one chance with the keeper within few minutes of coming on, but was adjudged offside by the linesman. Otherwise was involved in simple passing moves.” But Colaco is surprised that he made a debut so soon at Atletico. He also believes Brazil is the perfect place for a flair-player like Romeo to flourish: “The game in Brazil will suit him because you get more time on the ball. There is more freedom to express yourself as a player compared to a more robust league. Romeo would physically struggle in Europe.” Which is why it makes more sense for the Goan to stay put. There is also the added advantage of better training facilities, a higher level of competition and a longer season. It’s no rocket science — players in India who have gone abroad to train always maintain that they learn more in countries where football is the primary sport. By no means is it easy for players to stay though — injuries and bad luck (as in the case of Bhaichung Bhutia and Saudi legend Sami Al Jaber) are huge factors in determining a player’s success abroad. But that doesn’t mean they return with a fear of failing abroad — culture and language issues should not be a problem like in the days of the great Mohammad Salim who came back to India citing homesickness — after dazzling for Celtic in two friendlies. The ideal way forward would be to rough it out in lower foreign leagues and make the most of every chance — because those players who came back after a stint like Subrata Paul, Brandon Fernandes and Sunil Chhetri - haven’t looked like returning since. Those Asians who stuck it out though, reaped a legacy of opening doors for fellow footballers — successful or not. These would include Iran’s Ali Daei, who played in Germany with Arminia Bielefeld, Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin — and though not very successful at any of those clubs, stuck it out for five years as an inspiration to his country. Then there’s Cheung Chi Doy, who played just thrice for Blackpool but opened the doors for Chinese footballers like Sun Jihai (ex- Manchester City) and Wang Shangyuan of Clubbe Brugge. Japanese players, led by AC Milan’s Kaisuke Honda and Borussia Dortmund’s Shinji Kagawa are littered all over Europe. Then there’s Thailand’s Teerasil Dangda — a 26-year old who is an example of the journeyman footballer with stints at Man City, Grasshopper and Almeria with brief returns to his home country. There is also a need on agents to push for longer deals — yes, foreign clubs are wary of taking risks on Asian players — but they come cheaper than players from other countries and there are marketing advantages considering the sport is growing in India. India’s players abroad need to be shrewd, market themselves to other agents and even play for a lower league - buying as much time away from home as possible. While it is almost certain that we will see Romeo on Indian pitches soon, Gurpreet may not be available to play at home. The Norwegian season ends in November — which means at least six more months of European football for him.