They had waited for 13 years. From finishing second to almost being relegated, Mohun Bagan had truly faced the ups and downs in the I-league. The agony looked to be extended by yet another year. And then came the header from Bello Rasaq.
From the Kantaveera stadium to the lanes of North Kolkata, the Bagan fans were engulfed in a euphoria that was not seen in the recent past. The trophy drought had ended. As the ecstatic supporters celebrated, the state government seemed to be ignorant about the historic victory.
“Let's not be political. It has been done because we all are happy. There is nothing wrong if we bring a bit of happiness to the city of joy.” These were the words of Shah Rukh Khan after the West Bengal government had welcomed the Kolkata Knight Riders with open arms and had spent lavishly over the IPL team when they won their maiden IPL trophy back in 2012.
Two years down the line, Atletico de Kolkata win the ISL in its inaugural year and were felicitated at Netaji Indoor Stadium. The chief minister Mamata Banerjee had handed over gifts, 'uttariya' and a special trophy to the players at the ceremony.
A year later, Mohun Bagan win their coveted I-league title and the only show of appreciation that they receive is a tweet from the CM. “After 11 years the Football I-League trophy comes back to #Bengal. Congratulations Mohun Bagan.” That was the celebration, felicitation, and reward for the players who could not be paid salaries for 4 months this season.
Mohun Bagan has spent over 150 crores in the past 13 years without tasting any national success. The Saradha group who had heavily invested in the club went bust being caught up in the financial scam and the spending spree came to a halt in 2013. The UB Group also drastically reduced their annual funding from Rs. 17 crores to just Rs. 5 crores.
Along with the lack of funding, the I-League is completely neglected by the authorities
The IPL and ISL are both heavily commercialised with players getting astronomical wages, far more than they probably had ever earned in the industry. However, when the IPL franchise returned home with a sensational win over Chennai Super Kings in 2012, the chief minister handed over gold medals to not just the players but to the support staff of the victorious KKR team at a grand felicitation ceremony at the Eden Gardens.
There were two sets of gold chains, Sandesh from Nakur Chandra and shawls. Reports in the media suggested that the celebration cost the state treasury something close to Rs. 50 lakhs.
The AIFF awarded the league champions with Rs. 70 lakhs as prize money while Bengaluru FC who finished second received Rs. 40 lakh. In comparison to this, the 2015 IPL champions received a whopping sum of Rs. 15 crores with the clause that half of the sum has to be shared with the players. While many blame the media for popularising cricket, these are probably the facts that no one wishes to entertain.
In today’s scenario, there is hardly a ‘break’ when it comes to sports in India. But the way few tournaments are commercialised and given the much required financial support is alarming.
While that is the amount of cash spent on just one tournament, the HAI (Hockey Association of India) had to ‘beg’ on social media urging the crowd to sponsor their trip to Kuwait where an Asia-level tournament was to be held. For any sport to develop, the discrimination cannot be made on grounds of how commercialised the game is. If the governing bodies of the game do not wish to, the Centre and the State Governments will have to take up the job and encourage the next generation.
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