India, Sept. 15 -- With the future of the season called into question, the past few months have been some of the most miserable for football in India. Column inches were devoted to court hearings, FIFA threatening more than a rap on the knuckles, clubs saying winding up was a possibility and commercial partners' diktat that they couldn't continue because, well, uncertainty was the only certainty.

The silver lining was how wonderfully defiant the performance on the pitch was. From Thailand to Tajikistan, from Yangon to Phnom Penh, Sangita Basfore to Sandesh Jhingan, India's men, women, the U20 women and East Bengal defied odds to earn a podium finish, secure Asian qualifications and a berth among the continent's elite women clubs. Seguein...