The triumph in the Nehru Cup was indeed sweet, but when the team failed to progress beyond the first round of the World Cup qualifiers, the euphoric mood quickly evaporated.

In front of packed stands at New Delhi's Ambedkar stadium, India, coached by Englishman Bob Houghton, played some excellent football to reach the final and then beat Syria in the title clash. Though the competition India faced was not of the highest standard in Asia, the victory came as a morale booster.

Houghton's planning played a big role in India's triumph. Before the Nehru Cup the team went to Portugal for a training-cum-exposure trip, while in the tournament itself, they didn't face top-notch outfits. Instead, most of the teams were of the same standard, ensuring that the Indians' didn't have confidence-denting results against them.

The Nehru Cup success didn't benefit the team though when it came to the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. Playing in Lebanon first, India suffered a 1-4 defeat and despite a fighting 2-2 draw in the home leg in Goa, the overall scoreline read 6-3 in Lebanon's favour.

However, India's standing in the game improved as can be gauged by the year-end ranking of 143, compared to 157 in December 2006. Heartening too was the performance of the junior teams, with the under-16 outfit qualifying for the final rounds of the Asian championships and the under-19 outfit narrowly missing out. The visit of FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Asian Football Confederation chief Mohammad Bin Hammam to inaugurate the All India Football Federation headquarters also added to the positive vibes.

The year was also significant for the launch of the I-League, a new version of the National Football League which ran for more than a decade. It is hoped the new competition will bring professionalism in the domestic game.
To that end, AIFF is thinking of barring national team players from turning out for their clubs in state competitions and local leagues to preserve them for international games and major domestic tournaments such as the I-League and Federation Cup.

In the qualifiers for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, India finished fourth behind Iraq, North Korea and Thailand in Group E. India had prevailed over Myanmar via a penalty shootout in the preliminary stage.

On the club scene, there was heartbreak for Mumbai outfit Mahindra United, which narrowly missed a semifinal berth in the AFC Cup after conceding a late penalty at Lebanon's Al Nejmeh. The other Indian team in the competition, Mohun Bagan, had bowed out after the group stage itself.