India fall short of soccer success, critics say

The world's second most populous nation has a rich history of the game but the team are an embarrassing 142nd in the FIFA rankings and Indians wonder every four years why they do not figure in the World Cup.

The national team did qualify for this month's Asian Cup -- after a 27-year gap that underlines their struggles even in the smaller continental pool -- but were soundly beaten 4-0 by Australia in their opening group match on Monday.

The popular notion is that opponents are literally head and shoulders above India because lack of height is a serious handicap for Indian soccer.

Image: Australia's Brett Emerton, right, fights for ball against India's Syed Rahim Nabi during their AFC Asian Cup group C soccer match at Al Saad Stadium, in Doha, Qatar, Monday Jan. 10, 2011. Australia won the match 4-0.

Text: Reuters

Images: AP