Indian football is down to injury time.

Football Bachao Andolan is the fan-led movement demanding transparent leadership, protected grounds, and a real pathway for the next generation. We're done watching from the stands.

Join the movement Read the manifesto

Why we're on the pitch

A ranking in freefall

India once cracked the world's top 100, peaking at 94th in February 1996. Three decades on, the Blue Tigers sit at 138th — and the gap to Asia's leaders keeps growing.

The grounds are disappearing

Across Indian cities, the maidans, school fields, and municipal turfs where local football is actually born are being fenced off and paved over for parking lots and convention centres. Every ground lost is a generation that never gets to start.

No clear road to the top

Talented kids in small towns have no certified coaches, no visible trials, and no idea how a maidan game turns into a national call-up. The pathway exists on paper. It barely exists in practice.

0 Current FIFA world ranking AFC has seven nations ranked higher
0 Our highest-ever ranking Reached in February 1996
1951 & 1962 Asian Games gold The golden era we're fighting to get back to

The manifesto

Six demands. No small print. This is what showing up for Indian football actually looks like.

  1. 1

    Open the books

    Elected, transparent AIFF leadership with public finances and real fan accountability.

  2. 2

    Save every maidan

    No ground, school pitch, or public turf lost to concrete without a fight — and a legal fund to back it.

  3. 3

    Fund the grassroots

    Certified coaches and academies in every district, not just the metro cities.

  4. 4

    Make selection make sense

    Published, merit-based trial criteria for every state and national youth side.

  5. 5

    Build one pyramid

    A single domestic structure with real promotion and relegation that clubs can plan a future around.

  6. 6

    Respect the lower divisions

    Fair wages, funding, and visibility for the clubs holding up the base of the game.

The road ahead

  1. Kickoff

    Sign the pledge and register your city. We're mapping where the fanbase actually is before we march anywhere.

  2. Second half

    Local chapters go live in India's footballing cities — matchday banners, terrace chants, and a manifesto everyone can recite.

  3. Full time

    The manifesto goes straight to the AIFF and state associations, on the record, with the fan register behind it.

Get in the squad

Add your name to the fan register. We'll tell you when there's a chapter near you, an action to join, or a card to be shown.