The Indian Super League is here, folks. So 'let's football', writes Anil Dias
The Indian football fan has bottled up his emotions for decades. And in all these years, the national team's performance has been perennially abysmal. Apart from winning two gold medals at the Asian Games (1951, 1962), Indian football has nothing much to brag about. Most people can't make sense how a country with nearly 1.3 billion people fails to field a team that can make the top 100 in the world rankings. The national league (I-League) is in a shambles and has no takers. And so, the football fan has no option but to sit at home and follow a foreign league on television. Such is the craze that Mumbai alone boasts official fan clubs of Manchester United, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
But after all these years, that very football fan has something to look forward to. Young boys practising in some maidan, trying to imitate their heroes, can now dare to dream. At 7:00 pm on Sunday, as the sun goes down in the football-crazy city of Kolkata, for the first time in India, 'the beautiful game' will take centre stage. When Atletico de Kolkata take on Mumbai City FC in the first game of Indian Super League (ISL) at the Salt Lake Stadium, Indian football will see a new beginning.
A host of celebrity owners, experienced foreign managers and impressive high-profile players will hope to wake up India — called the 'sleeping giant' by FIFA president Sepp Blatter — from its slumber.
Eight city-based teams will battle it out for the coveted trophy and prize money of Rs 8 crore (yes, that's the highest money pot Indian football has ever seen). The organisers have roped in star players to attract fans and viewers. Italian World Cup winner Marco Materazzi has joined Chennai as player-manager, while his former teammate, Alessandro Del Piero, is the biggest name at Delhi Dynamos. French star Robert Pires, Sweden's Freddie Ljungberg and Spain's Luis García have come out of retirement to participate in this league. The very fit and versatile Nicolas Anelka will don Mumbai City FC colours. Peter Reid, the former Manchester City and Sunderland manager and Zico, the Brazilian icon, will manage Mumbai and Goa, respectively.
Although most of the marquee players are well past their prime and are discards of European leagues, the ISL has still managed to generate worldwide attention. Of course, the formula is tried and tested — North American Soccer League and Major League Soccer in the United States, Japan's J-League and Australia's A-League have welcomed veteran or retired international players with open arms. And they have, over the years, passed on their skills, experience and attitude to a domestic pool of players. Mind you, each of these countries have qualified for the FIFA World Cup. Why, they have done it consistently.
Not relying on just the marquee players to provide the buzz, promoters Star India, Reliance Industries and IMG have roped in a host of Bollywood stars — Abhishek Bachchan (Chennaiyin FC), John Abraham (North East FC), Ranbir Kapoor (Mumbai City FC) and Hrithik Roshan (FC Pune City) — to become co-owners. In a country where cricket is a religion, getting cricketers on board makes sense. Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni are co-owners of Kerala Blasters, Atletico de Kolkata, Goa FC and Chennaiyin FC, respectively.
Critics may argue that for something good to come out of the league, star players or celebrity owners don't matter. It's true that the footballing infrastructure is in a shambles and top clubs/gymkhanas remain inaccessible to the common man. Well, the ISL could be a solution to that problem. The organisers have made it clear that each team has to set up academies and take steps to better the infrastructure in their respective cities. These academies could also prove extremely vital for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2017 that India is set to host.
The 1950s may have been the golden age for the sport in India. We qualified for the 1950 World Cup in Brazil but pulled out for want of funds. After all, we had gained independence only three years earlier. Looks like the ISL is here to make up for all that. With tickets available for as less as rs 125, the Indian football fan can venture out and watch quality football.
Come Sunday, Indian football will have a new identity. Whether the ISL succeeds or not remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure —Indian football cannot get any worse. So let's football.
Playing today: Live on Star Sports 2 at 9:30 pm
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