Any ardent Indian footy fan would have heard about the new modifications brought to Indian Football leagues. What does this really mean for the future of Indian football? Will we get to see our own version of a Messi or Ronaldo?
So what has been implemented is nearly the very same league format seen in Europe {especially England}. There are going to be 3 leagues – ISL, I-League and Division 2.This sounds normal, doesn’t it ? What’s so special in this?
That is the question on everyone’s mind. But believe me, this is the beginning of the emergence of India as a superpower in football. You may think I sound crazy, but I insist: India will be within Top 50 of the FIFA World ranking within 10 years. 2018 is the beginning, people.
ISL will function as the top tier of Indian football
I-League will be the Second tier while Division 2 will be the Third tier. This sounds normal, still not impressed? The new idea is the introduction of Women’s football league – impressed now? Many may not know but our Women are far better ranked than our Boys; they are ranked 58th in the world as of now, they might even enter the Top 10 in the next 10 years...
The league will start in September and end in the month of March and after that in the month of May starts the Federation Cup. Rumours are that 28 teams will participate in the Federation Cup. This will help to expand the draft of players available for Friendlies.
Then during the month of June and July, the Indian national team comes into action with lots of friendlies proposed as soon as the first season completes by 2018. The AFC Cup will also hold more Indian teams and who knows, we may get to see an Indian club in the AFC Champions League.
The Indian Super League (ISL) has been held for 2 years and has achieved great success, but do you really think it will improve the future of our football ? The answer is simple – no. Just two months of football for most of the players, the Indian players earn at a maximum of two lakh for their 2 months of football while a bang average player in Europe gets paid £10000 per week (10 lakh).
So putting it in simple words, the idea of ISL is great but it would not do as much good for Indian football as it does for the investers and sponsors. The Indian players deserve a better payday and they need to play more to keep up with their other Asian counterparts.
What do we need to address this issue?
1. RIch owners and investors
2. Loyal fans
3. One World Class player
Rich owners are very important to the growth of football. Look at the likes of Roman Abramovich and Dmitry Rybolovlev owning the likes of Chelsea and Monaco. They have been instrumental in the vast development of their respective football clubs. Spending money for football rather than in political scams is a good option.
FANS: they decide games. Look at all European games, like at Anfield or Old Trafford; the fans themselves can win games by their support. But as of now, only the ISL gets high attendance while the century old I-League rarely fills a quarter of a stadium.
But two clubs I like in this regard are Aizawl FC and Bengaluru FC; their fans are absolutely amazing. Kerala Blasters fans need a special mention too, but that is the ISL. We need the fans behind the players to show their support. That will make the players roar on.
World class player – in India? Impossible? Not at all! One football player can represent a whole of a country. The best examples are Adebayor of Togo (a country ranked lower than India), Bolasie (Haiti), and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Armenia). These players are simply stunning in their own way – Adebayor is well-known for his skills, Bolasie is one of the best dribblers in England while Mhkitaryan is a world class player and one of the best creators in Germany.
If we get a player like him from our country, then lots of players could develop with that player as a role model. Sunil Chhetri was one but he wasn’t world class. We need something more.
The least attended issue in the past was grassroots develpoment, but now all of the ISL clubs have started and completed grassroots development programmes. The new regulations state that new academies will be set up all across India, especially in states which don’t possess a football team. Youth are the face of the nation, they say. Hope they step up in football too!
The AIFF Youth Cup has shown us promising talents which have impressed me a lot personally. One of the youngsters who is a great prospect is Lalinzuala Chhangte; he has been so outstanding for club and country that he’s been already dubbed the ‘Indian Messi’. Let’s see how many young Chhangtes are there in our youth academies.
Get ready kids!
India in a FIFA World Cup – who wouldn’t want that? Look at the Australian Football team for example. They started the A-League in 2005, but look at the enormous growth they have achieved since! They won every heart at the 2014 World Cup.
This scenario is sure to happen if the new league structure is a success. And with the U-17 FIFA WC to be held in 2017, we surely can start to dream. Look at the likes of Algeria and Iran – they are countries suffering with a lot of internal political issues and wars but they are representing their countries through football. If everything goes to plan, we will get there too.
KEEP GOING INDIAN FA! MISSION FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 IS ON!
