An Indian footballer in Europe: Before Bala Devi, there was Sujata Kar and a huge lost opportunity

When Scottish top flight club Rangers FC announced the signing of India’s star striker Bala Devi in Bengaluru this January, a former Indian striker was going about her daily job of coaching young girls and boys in Kolkata unaware of the fuss it was creating.

Not many at the ground also would have known Sujata Kar was one of two Indian women players who were offered a chance to play for German football TSV Crailsheim, who were then playing in the second division of Bundesliga, at the turn of the century.

In fact, Kar and Alpana Seal, both 19, spent almost two months training with the club in Germany back in 2000 but could not make the move permanent as the international transfer papers could not be arranged in time.

“We were very young then. We had no idea about the procedure or paperwork to be done. So we had to come back,” Kar told Scroll.in from her home in Kolkata.

Both Kar and Seal were noticed by the club back in 1997 when the national team had travelled to Germany for a preparatory camp and played a practice match against them.

“I was very young then and on the first international tour with the Indian team. I was not even part of the first XI. We were trailing 3-0 after the first half and I came in and scored two goals in the second half,” recalled Kar.

That performance impressed Crailsheim’s manager, who made a general inquiry about the two girls through an Indian-origin referee working in Germany. “We didn’t take them seriously then and I was shocked when I got a letter in 2000 asking to come for trials,” she said.

According to the report in the Kolkata daily, The Telegraph, the two players impressed Crailsheim manager Hubert Oechsner enough for him to consider giving them a long-term contract but their international transfer papers were not in place for them to make a permanent move.

The report also explained how the All India Football Federation, the Indian Football Association (that runs the game in West Bengal), and their local team Income Tax all kept playing the blame game and the players had to ultimately struggle.

Crailsheim went on to play in the first division a couple of years later and the two Indians could well have been part of that history. Indeed, one can’t help but wonder how Indian football’s graph might have changed if these two girls would have played in Germany. What they could have brought back to India if successful? What doors they could have opened for other players? Perhaps, the world might even have started seeing Indian talent differently.

Kar admitted that it was a lost opportunity for her as the training facilities in Germany were far better than what they had in India. But she continued to rule the roost in Indian football and was known as one of the most prolific scorers for the national team, famously scoring five goals against Guam in the AFC Championship qualifier in 2005.

Her international career was, however, cut short due to a knee injury in 2008 but she continued to play in Kolkata for a few years before taking up coaching.

Raising a new generation

Kar, who grew up in the football-mad Jadhavpur area of Kolkata and made the most of her limited resources, now dreams of producing players who could make a mark on the national and international stage.

She has also worked with the India u-19 team and the SSB Central team in the Indian Women Football League. Under her guidance, Dipti Sangha bagged the 2017 IFA Women’s League title without losing even one game.

But what really motivates the 39-year-old is the work she is putting in to identify talent among the underprivileged and tribal girls in and around Kolkata and helping them make a living.

“I personally go and watch these girls playing and see whether they have the hunger to play football. I then bring them to Kolkata and they stay with me in my house while training together with boys and girls at my centre,” she said, adding that about eight girls were currently staying with her.

One of them, Devnita Roy, has gone on to represent India in the u-17, u-18 and u-19 teams while the majority of the girls are currently playing for the Kolkata Police Football Academy team age group teams.

Ask her about the reasons behind why women’s football has not really managed to take flight in India, Kar said just like the boys, the girls also need to get enough matches to play through the year.

“The senior nationals used to be the only top-level tournament during our playing day. The IWFL has started a few years back and we can see the change in standards. But we need a lot of age-group tournaments.”

When pointed out that those running the game insist that there are not enough players to hold such events, Kar insisted that if a tournament was announced and all affiliated units were asked to field a team, they will automatically look for talent and that is how the numbers will increase.

On her part, she is looking to create a system that can identify and nurture the talent of many more girls who come from an underprivileged background.

“I won’t say anything yet. I have something in my mind and it should happen in a few years. I definitely want to create something that will ensure that everyone will have an opportunity to make a career in football.”