Guwahati: Former India women’s football team goalkeeper Anjana Saikia, who helped the country win the SAFF Women’s Championship in 2014, says she is struggling with an uncertain future despite her achievements on the international stage.
Saikia, believed to be the only woman footballer from Assam to have represented India and won a medal at an international tournament, is currently working as a football coach with the Assam Sports and Youth Welfare Department on a contractual basis. She merely earns a monthly salary of Rs 20,000, but delays in payment mean her actual take-home pay is around Rs 18,000 and is often received only after a year or more.
The former national goalkeeper has been posted at the Kakojan coaching centre in Jorhat for the past two years. However, she admits that the prolonged financial uncertainty has left her disillusioned and questioning her future in the sport.
“Sometimes I wish I had never played the game and had done something else instead,” Saikia said.
“I completed my graduation believing that I would be able to lead a dignified life once my playing career was over, but that has not helped either. At times, I feel like giving up coaching in the very game I loved most and looking for other work. It is very painful.”
Her situation has drawn attention to the challenges faced by many former athletes in India after their playing careers end. Sports officials states that the difficulties experienced by athletes such as Saikia shows the need for stronger support systems, greater job security and better financial compensation for those who have represented the country.
Saikia once shared the pitch with some of India’s finest footballers and played a key role in the nation’s triumph at the 2014 SAFF Women’s Championship. Twelve years later, she says she is exhausted by the uncertainty surrounding her livelihood.