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  A clarion call to AIFF

A clarion call to AIFF

Published : Nov 27, 2015, 10:22 pm IST
Updated : Nov 27, 2015, 10:22 pm IST

Even though interest in the ISL hasn’t gone up in Season Two, it hasn’t gone down alarmingly either. People are still intrigued to find what the fuss is all about

Even though interest in the ISL hasn’t gone up in Season Two, it hasn’t gone down alarmingly either. People are still intrigued to find what the fuss is all about

While the Indian Super League is inching closer to the knockout stage in its second season amidst much fanfare, there is a lot of uncertainty over the All India Football Federation’s so-called flagship tournament, the I-League. Even though the powers that be in the AIFF have been putting on a brave face regarding the I-League, there is a serious question mark over its sustainability. Fans are attending ISL matches in impressive numbers and most of them don’t even know that there is another league.

The I-League will feature only nine clubs in the forthcoming season after the withdrawal of Pune FC, Bharat FC and Royal Wahingdoh. One can’t rule out more pullouts as team managements are coming to terms with the futility of a league in which returns are zilch. The I-League has never managed to capture the imagination of fans. Nor is it filling the coffers of clubs. Why should clubs, then, fritter away money season after season in addition to breaking their heads over attendant logistical problems

Unable to find the finances to run its office, the AIFF sold the rights of conducting a new city-based league to IMG-Reliance. The federation should, at least, be lauded for realising that it was ill equipped to take a league to the masses. Sceptics were aplenty when IMG-Reliance spelt out its plans for the ISL in 2014. But they were made to eat their words as the new competition went ahead without a hitch. To say that a revolution is on in Indian football would be an exaggeration because only a start has been made.

The ISL has created a buzz about football and is bringing people who had never shown an inclination to attend matches to the ground. No doubt it has borrowed some kitsch elements from the IPL but, then, gimmicks have become necessary to attract Indian fans in these days of entertainment overload. Unlike cricket, homegrown heroes are rare in football, so some stunts are inevitable to the ISL show.

Even though interest in the ISL hasn’t gone up in season two, it hasn’t gone down alarmingly either. People are still intrigued to find what the fuss is all about. The professional approach of the ISL management is like a blast of fresh air in a sport that had to put up with amateurism for so long. Some prominent names in European football have jumped on the bandwagon to spread the football gospel in an outpost with enormous potential. The clamour is getting louder and louder for the merger of the ISL and the I-League. It should happen one day but the day isn’t nearer.

As the ISL consolidate its position, it is duty bound to do its bit for Indian football. For a start, it can explore ways to give more exposure to Indian players and coaches. More transparency on ownership of the eight clubs will help it steer clear of the pitfalls that bedevilled the IPL.

One of the unintended fallouts of the ISL is the rampant rise of unemployment among Indian players. As only around 100 domestic players can be accommodated in the IMG-Reliance league, scores of others are left with no contracts. It’s a vicious cycle as not playing in the ISL also dents their marketability in the I-League. Closure of I-League clubs is also having a debilitating effect on players’ careers. The AIFF must do something at once to ensure that domestic footballers have opportunities to make a living out of the game. There is simmering discontent among players over not getting contracts and the situation is graver than what the federation thinks.