ISL should not be a one-time or two-month thing: Sunil Chettri

All the problems facing the Indian Super League (ISL) seem to be over with the stakeholders coming together. Are you hopeful that the league will finally see the light of the day?
I hope so. It was very difficult for me to comment in the past (on the league) because I didn't know what was happening. Now, too, I don't know exactly what's going to happen. But it's good that the All India Football Federation, I-League teams, ISL and IMG-R are coming in the same path, which is very important. When you have big think-tanks like the I-League and IMG-R going haywire, it's a problem for the country. Now when they're on the same wavelength, it's a boom for us.

The I-League clubs were boycotting the league all this while. Now with them on board, it must have reduced the anxiety of players...
Yes, it does. I used to get calls from players asking me, 'what to do bhai'? Once you know exactly what's happening, you can choose. When you don't know what's happening, you panic and then take the wrong steps. So it's good that all the people involved have understood this.

The Indian Premier League and Hockey India League have given the right kind of platform for the young talent to blossom, which in turn is helping the national teams. Do you think the ISL can achieve that?
It should. The clubs and franchises that come in should be very serious about not only making the team but also youth development. It's very important for football. It should not be a one-time or a two-month thing. There has to be an understanding that they have to develop proper infrastructure, and build a lot of young players. It suits them. For example, if a franchisee has to buy, say, a Steven Dias for Rs 1 crore, but if you can make the kind of infrastructure where you have a lot of young talent, you can have many Steven Dias' in your own home turf, without paying them much money. It's a business. All over the world it works like that. You see La Masia (Barcelona's training camp), they produce all the Barcelona players. You don't have to go out buying players and paying them transfer fees. So the clubs have to be sensible -- it helps them along with Indian football.

With names of various celebrities, cricketers and corporates doing the rounds to buy teams in the ISL, it must excite you as a player...
It does, when you hear a buzz about your own sport. Look, the buzz was already there, but to reach that level where it is marketability suitable, is what you need in football. As far as football is concerned, a lot of people want to watch and play the game in our country compared to any other sport, but to reach that level you need a lot of corporate houses and a lot of buzz. Which is exactly what is happening now.

The 2017 Under-17 World Cup in India is being seen as a watershed moment. Do you think we can build the kind of infrastructure needed to host such a mega event?
We should, it's not about we need to. We have about three-and-a-half years now, which is not a small amount of time. We don't even have to build a stadium with 50,000 people. A proper 30,000-seater stadium of international standard is enough. We couldn't have asked for anything more. It's a massive tournament. We're talking about the future Ronaldos and Messis playing here. All the scouts are going to be here. We have to show an India that is very hospitable, everyone should say "India was great". At the same time, every kid – from Andaman to Jammu – should get a fair chance. There should be no kid of that age thinking I should have got a chance.