Sangita was a vital cog in India’s SAFF Women’s Championship where it ended a seven-year-drought by beating Bangladesh in the final.  | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

CHENNAI

Nearly two decades ago, Sangita Basfore’s parents almost did not allow her to take a first step towards professional football. They feared what people would say, considering she would be the only girl training among boys and wearing shorts.

But her persistent pleas prompted a change of heart. And, five international trophies and a handful more in club football surely assure her family that they made the right choice.

The latest silverware came at the SAFF Women’s Championship in Goa earlier this month, where India ended a seven-year drought. Sangita contributed to one of the 18 goals as India won all four of its matches while conceding just once.

In an interaction with Sportstar, the 29-year-old spoke about the triumphant campaign, women’s football in India, her personal journey and more.

Excerpts:

Q: First off, can you summarise the SAFF Championship campaign? What was the mood like before the tournament?

After the loss at the AFC (Asian Cup), everyone was very disheartened for sure. So settling ourselves and making a comeback took a little while. For seven years, we had not lifted the trophy, so our target for this SAFF Championship was to win no matter what.

Every match in this SAFF Championship was important for me. I hadn’t played in the Indian Women’s League because I was on departmental duty, so every game mattered a lot. That’s why all the matches will remain memorable for me.

Q: Which moment stands out for you from the tournament?

One moment I will always remember was before the tournament, when I went for a press conference and saw the trophy. There was a Bangladesh player standing nearby, and I jokingly didn’t even let her touch the trophy. I told her, “This trophy is going to be ours.”

Q: Can you take talk about your journey to turning pro?

I am from Kalyani in Nadia district, West Bengal. My uncle was a professional footballer and used to run a boys’ academy. After school, I would often sit there and watch them train. Whenever the ball went out, I would run and bring it back.

At that time, around 2007, I didn’t even know that women’s football existed. One day, the coaches told my parents that I was a good player and should be allowed to play. My parents were hesitant because I would be the only girl playing among boys and wearing shorts. They worried about what people would say.

My uncles and coaches visited our home and convinced them. I also pleaded with my mother and told her, “Please let me play. I will never ask you for anything else.” Eventually, they agreed.

Then, eventually in 2013, I was selected for the senior national team camp. I saw senior players like Bembem Devi, Bala Devi and Sasmita Malik, and honestly, I was intimidated. But watching them made me realise how much harder I needed to work. They became role models for me, especially Bembem Devi. Her style of playing taught me a lot.

Over the years, different coaches gradually gave me more playing opportunities. I kept working hard and trying to improve. In 2019, during a tournament in Spain, I got the opportunity to start in the playing XI. After the match, the coach appreciated my performance and asked where I had been hiding all this time. That felt really good because it meant people were noticing my progress.

Q: What motivates you?

My biggest goal was always to support my family financially and give them a better life. That’s one of the reasons I worked so hard in football. In 2017, I joined the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) through the sports quota. The job helped me support my family and become financially stable. However, because of departmental restrictions, I often couldn’t play league football for clubs. I would still receive national team call-ups, but competing with players who had been playing regular matches was difficult.

Even then, my mindset was always to push myself harder and prove that I belonged at that level.

In 2021, during the AFC Women’s Asian Cup preparations in India, I suffered an ACL injury. I was out for almost a year. Returning in 2023 was challenging because I had missed football so much, and it took time to regain my rhythm. But I worked hard, earned another opportunity, and continued moving forward.

Joining a big club like East Bengal was another important step in my career. Overall, my journey has been good, although one dream remains: playing in the World Cup. We came close once, but hopefully there will be more opportunities in the future.

Q: Can you speak about your club season with East Bengal?

Honestly, I haven’t had many opportunities to play club football this season because of my departmental commitments. Before joining East Bengal, I played in the Police Games, where our team became champions. After that success, I was allowed to play club football.

There have been periods when getting permission became difficult, and sometimes I had to take leave to participate. So, balancing everything has not always been easy.

But my experience with East Bengal has been very positive. The club supported me a lot, and I shared a good bond with everyone there. Especially the fans were fantastic.

While winning SAFF after seven years is great, what is the standard that the Indian women’s team wants to set?

The target for the team is mainly going to be the upcoming Olympic qualifiers and then hopefully the Asian Games as well. The standard we want to set is to practice more, build team spirit and of course give our best to win every match, no matter the level of game we’re playing.

Plus, everyone must have set their personal targets for the coming days. My priority is to perform well in every match and grow step by step; that is it.

Q: How was it playing under Amelia Valverde?

She is a very good coach. One thing I really appreciate is how she motivates players.

Even after matches, she would personally speak to the players. If something didn’t go well, she would tell us to leave it behind and focus on the next challenge. She always encouraged us to keep moving forward, and that helped the team a lot.

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Do you think changing the coach with just a month to go for the Asian Cup had an impact on India’s performance?

No, I do not think changing the coach impacted our performance. We focused on doing our best. As players, our job is to perform on the field. The coaches guide us and prepare us, and our responsibility is to execute the plan.

As a team, we worked extremely hard and stayed focused on achieving our dream. That was our primary focus throughout the tournament.

Q: What do you have to say on Dangmei Grace and her decision to retire?

Grace had been talking about retirement for quite some time. Her decision had come as a surprise to me, and I kept telling her, “You still have a lot of football left in you. Don’t retire so soon.”

But she had made up her mind and wanted to finish her career on a high. Before the tournament, whenever I would call her to ask when she was coming to camp, she would say, “Let’s play well. I want a good retirement, with a trophy.” I had honestly thought she was joking the first time she said that, as she keeps joking around and is one of the funniest in the team.

She makes everyone laugh and brings so much positivity into the group. At the same time, she is a natural leader. Whenever she speaks, younger players listen because she always has valuable advice.

We miss her already. Even now, when we return from camps, we remember her jokes and the energy she brought to the team. She’s a wonderful person.

Q: Did any of the players know about it?

Some players knew because she had spoken about it for a while. The coaches were aware as well.

On the day of the (SAFF) final, during the players’ meeting, she became emotional and told us, “Give me a good retirement. Give me this trophy.” That really touched everyone and motivated us even more.

Q: What are the things that you personally think need to be improved in Indian football, especially in the women’s game?

I think the biggest improvement would be increasing the duration of the women’s league.

Many players don’t get enough competitive football throughout the year. When they are with their clubs, they receive proper training, fitness work and match exposure. A longer league would help players develop much more consistently.

Apart from that, I would simply ask people to continue supporting women’s football. That support makes a huge difference for all of us.

Published on Jun 15, 2026