Finally after much speculation, the All India Football Federation came up with the merger plan of the I-League and the Indian Super League. According to the AIFF, following the 2017-18 season, the I-League and the Indian Super League will be partially merged to form a new league, and three other leagues will be introduced. The ISL, formed as a short two month tournament, will take the lead role in Indian football, whereas the I-League will be developed to become the second division league in India. Further, a third league and a fourth will be formed and will include new clubs from various India states which do not represent any current club in India, such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh etc. The AIFF said that its’ objective was to create a “sustainable ecosystem” for the football clubs, wherein they expect to see all Indian states participating in Indian football by 2020. The AIFF also says to aim a FIFA ranking for the men’s team of 120 by the end of 2017, and a World Cup 2019 qualification for the women’s team. The ISL, taking the center stage now, will be the main league in India and will become a five month long league for the 2017-18 season, and a seven month league the season thereafter. It will include the current eight existing teams from the ISL, 2 new franchisees and two or three teams from the current I-League, which will be decided on a tender basis. There will be no relegation from ISL for initial years. The teams which will be a part of it will continue playing against each other season in season out. The other I-League teams will be a part of League One, along with other teams from I-League division 2. The other teams will comprise the League Two, while the new teams will fill the slots of League Three. Leagues One, Two and Three will have relegation and promotion among themselves. All the leagues are expected to run simultaneously, and the top three leagues will be broadcasted live on television. League Three, will not have any broadcasting. This way, the AIFF aims at making the Indian football scenario similar to the European ecosystem. Some advantages or disadvantages of this merger plan are: 1. No relegation from ISL – According to a contract signed during the inception of the league, there is a no relegation clause for the first ten years, hence this decision. But this would lead to a sluggish pace of development in the league, since first division teams don't have the axe hanging above them and the threat of being relegated is not present. 2. More focus on youth development – The ISL clubs, since their inception have focused on youth development, which was rare to find with the current I-League clubs. ISL clubs have set up their academies, partnering up with famous foreign clubs like West Bromwich Albion, Feyenoord and Real Madrid (Delhi Dynamos) and Atletico de Madrid (Atletico De Kolkata),to nurture young talent through camps and also arrange foreign training sessions at the clubs. 3. Tender process to gain entry to ISL – The I-League teams which will be a part of ISL will be decided by a tender process. That means, the club which is able to pay the required amount of money, will become a part of ISL, without any fear of relegation. The other clubs, however well they play, will not be able to compete in the top tier of Indian football. This will prevent international players to participate in League One, League Two and League Three. When players of international standards don’t participate in a tournament, the standard of football is sure to deteriorate, also reducing viewership and interest among fans. 4. Glitz, glamour and cash – Being impartial, ISL teams have done a lot to change the face of Indian football. The team owners have put in a ridiculous amount of cash, also focusing on the brand image their teams are making, often adding glamour via film stars to make football a household sport like cricket. Indians are always attracted to glamour and even glamour is attached to sports, it gains extreme popularity, with the IPL being the biggest example. Thus, what can be expected from ISL is the increase in popularity of football, with more and more people starting to follow the game. Further, ISL teams have roped in bigger names in 2 years than the I-League could have ever managed. Had the ISL not been there, we would have never managed to see players like Nicolas Anelka, Marco Materazzi, Luis Garcia, Roberto Carlos or Robert Pires playing on Indian soil and representing Indian teams. Thus, the same brands are expected to attract bigger names to India. 5. Decrease in fan base – Let’s face it, the largest fan base of Indian football comes through the traditional clubs like East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Mohammedan Sporting, Dempo SC and Salgaocar FC. When the fans see these age old traditional clubs playing in the second division only because they were formed decades back, they will stop following the ISL. The ISL, being the first division league requires the maximum support. But when traditional Indian football fans see their own clubs not a part of it, they’re sure to boycott the ISL. This is already in practice by a certain segment of fans, because of the lack of exposure being provided to the I-League clubs through the new plan and over-glorification of the ISL. 6. More money for the players – In a country where football isn't even considered a third string profession,the Indian players are taking home a bigger paycheck, thanks to the ISL. I-League players are loaned out during off season to the ISL teams, where they earn comparatively more than what they do in the I-League. It means the player earn more, and instigate more youngsters to consider football as a profession. This attracts more talent within India. 7. Danger of being frozen out – The ISL, which attracts some of the biggest names in world football to be a part of it, mainly does so because of its short duration. ISL runs for a period of 2-3 months, which ends just before the winter transfer window of European football begins. If the ISL gets the proposed expansion to seven months, it would be at par with the foreign leagues, thus finding it difficult to attract foreign stars. If they want to play for the whole duration, they’d prefer playing in The Major League Soccer (United States) or Chinese Super League (China) or any of the Middle Eastern leagues, which offer them more money with better quality and infrastructure. 8. No takers for League Three – The League Three, with no broadcasting, zero history and very little exposure will have no takers as sponsors or viewers. This would mean a total lack of awareness about it. Teams would find it difficult to find players to improve the quality of football, and players will play without any motivation. Money will have to be pumped in by the AIFF to make the league viable. The negative points seriously question the plan given by AIFF for the future of Indian football, and raise concerns about the actual willingness to improve the standard of Indian football. Some of the decisions taken here are cash-driven, and not pro-development. Although something is better than nothing, one needs to understand that simply throwing bags of money in will not develop the game in India. A better strategy is required. The questions raised to Mr. Kushal Das, the general secretary of the AIFF and the host of the meeting where the plan was introduced here in Delhi were mostly genuine, and the AIFF must come up with something a bit more inclusive. Football in India is centuries old. It has been more than a century when Mohun Bagan won the IFA (Indian Football Association) Shield. It is practically impossible to let go of those clubs for the so called “roadmap for Indian football.” One cannot imagine English Premier League without Manchester United or Arsenal, or La Liga without Real Madrid or Barcelona. Similar is the case in India. Instead of cornering the traditional clubs, we need to work with them. On the other hand, if we continue to go with the cash strapped I-League just the way it is, football in India will continue going downhill. A neutral solution is required to comply with the demands of both the parties, as well as focusing on the merger. For the real development, one needs to leave personal interest at the door and work for the betterment of the game. Otherwise, the players, teams and fans will keep on suffering in the country. Author |
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