1) Continental Rivalry

The SAFF Cup, previously known as the SAARC Championships, is the premier international football tournament for countries in the South Asian region. In a competition like SAFF Cup the Indian Football team gets an opportunity to show off its class against continental rivals like Pakistan, Bangladesh or Nepal. As in cricket where India-Pakistan football matches see overwhelming TRPs, football matches between the two countries can also yield similar results.

2) International Exposure

The national team players are always complaining about the lack of international exposure for them. So the SAFF cup is important for India as it is not only an international tournament but it also gives them an opportunity to play matches against opponents at neutral grounds which is very essential for long term development.

3) Chance To Rise In FIFA Rankings

All of us are aware that in the SAFF Cup, India has always been the highest ranked team. It gives a great opportunity to the team to beat all of their opponents and earn valuable points for not only winning matches against lower ranked teams but also earning points on beating continental rivals. Winning matches in the SAFF Cup can help India gain a good number of places in the FIFA rankings. Although this time around, there wont be any such thing as India have sent an U-23 squad.

4) Morale Booster

The  tournament is mainly contested between countries that are ranked well below the Indian National Football team, so it is a fact that India is regarded as the favourites in the tournament and thus winning the tournament can always be special and memorable to the players and coaches of the team and can provide an opportunity to boost the overall morale of the team.

5) Fan Following

Just like the Indian team players complain about playing very few international matches in a calendar year, the fans too have a similar outlook towards the game. India fans have to wait for long duration to see the men in blue in action. So, the SAFF Cup, being an international tournament, gives them a chance to cheer for their favourite team.

6) Testing The Reserves

Since the participating teams in the SAFF Cup are ranked very low in the world, and lower than India, it gives an opportunity for our coaching staff to test their bench strength rather than putting added pressure onto the same starting XI.

7) Cost Effective

From the AIFF’s point of view, sending a Team to SAFF CUP with an objective to win some matches and rise in the FIFA rankings is more cost effective rather than sending a team to Europe for the sake of using good facilities and playing matches against lower ranked teams in their country.

8) Media Coverage

The SAFF Cup, being an international tournament, results in there being ample media coverage of the Indian football team. The media coverage is not only limited to the Indian media groups but also to the groups from all across the South Asian region.

9) Most Successful Team

History shows India has been the best team in SAFF Cup, winning it for 4 times since its inception. So the SAFF Cup is important for India as important is the World cup for the Brazil Football team.

10) International Competition

The SAFF Cup is like any other international tournament played in Asia. It holds equal weight age to the ASEAN FOOTBALL Cup or the TIGER Cup in Malaysia. As a matter of fact many sections in the media also believe that SAFF Cup is more important than the Nehru cup itself.

Courtesy: goal.com