Age not a problem for marquee foreigners as long as they are fit – IMG vice president Jefferson Slack

Robert Pires is one of the centrally contracted marquee foreigners in the ISL

July 22 and 23 proved to be two historic days in Indian football as players were selected via draft pick system for the first time. Those were two more giant steps towards the start of the much-awaited Indian Super League and IMG vice-president Jefferson Slack reflected on the realisation of a concept that was first thought of more than three years ago when IMG-Reliance became the marketing and commercial partners of the AIFF.

“We have done many big projects in the past like even the Chinese Super League but we have never done something from an ownership standpoint. It’s so fulfilling to see the realisation of the vision and hard work. This is also a step to inspire young Indians to not only follow but also to play the sport.

“These were two historic days in Indian football with over 24 crore being spent on Indian players. We have a great opportunity to improve Indian football and FIFA are also very excited about India. In fact the world of football wants India to succeed,” Slack stated.

Kolkata were the highest spenders as they pumped in 3.91 crore followed by Mumbai (3.76), Kerala (3.31), Pune (3.19), Bengaluru (3.04) and Delhi (2.81).

There was plenty of excitement among the players in the build-up to the draft picks but Slack didn’t rule out the possibility of having a different system of selection like an auction in the future.

“The first year is a learning process for us in various aspects whether it’s the draft picks or the infrastructure and facilities. We will evaluate with every passing season and haven’t yet taken a decision about the road ahead. We have announced a partnership with the English Premier League so there will be plenty of knowledge flow from their side and that will surely be beneficial for the ISL,” Slack added.

Slack was further asked on the criteria of marquee foreigners with the example of Robbie Fowler being put forward as the former Liverpool and England forward was deemed unfit for the league.

“We originally thought of signing all the marquee foreigners centrally but then after listening to the requests of the franchises we allowed them to make individual signings. We are going to have high-profile players who have recently retired and are also fit. Age is not a problem as long as they are fit. For example we have a certificate from Arsene Wenger that Robert Pires is still fit and trains with Arsenal even now,” he clarified.