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The statement from I-League organisers on December 22 was farcical to say the least. Terming the tournament ‘top flight football league’, it said that ‘they were recently informed’ by Star Sports, the ‘exclusive’ broadcaster would telecast a select 30 matches from December 29.
The clubs, most of them fighting for survival amid the constant pressure, vehemently protested the decision. They had some concrete reasons to do so. In fact, in our democratic country, everybody is free to express their emotions. But like what happens with most of the cases, their voices were not heard.
Some quick actions were made. Clubs got together against the All Indian Football Federation, started an intensive social media campaign and in a hastily arranged press conference, a four-point charter was made, which was sent to the governing body.
But it was statement that raised questions. How can on earth, the matches of a top flight football league, be curtailed midway into the season by the so-called ‘exclusive’ broadcaster? Imagine what would happen if BT Sport does this to English Premier League, or beIN Sports does this to La Liga? Forget European football, even all football matches of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal are being shown on TV.
On the contrary, the Indian Super League, being a franchise-based tournament, gets all the attention, with their matches being shown on prime time. Not even a single match is curtailed or time tweaked.
As 2019 approaches, Sportskeeda presents you five questions that needs to be answered:
#5 Why is the I-League a soft target?
The National Football League started in 1997 but it hardly had any direct telecast. With only few important matches being shown live on DD Sports, fans had to go the stadium to watch the matches. It was only in 2007 the league was renamed as I-League and made professional. AIFF and Zee Sports reached in a 10-year-deal in which the latter decided to telecast half of the matches of the total league.
Despite increasing popularity, the deal didn’t continue beyond three years, thanks to the poor marketing from the AIFF. Ten Sports was soon roped in and the bitter-sweet relationship continued for seven long years. Fans were happy after Star Sports took over this season but the shocker came even before the year.
Star Sports has not for single time flashed an advertisement for any I-League matches this season. In case of an ISL matches, it shows at least 20 times on any average day. Ten Sports at least had the courtesy to let the fans know about the future matches.
It has been said that the I-League matches doesn’t generate much revenue. But not once was the TRP numbers were released by the broadcasters. It also has a very good attendance rate. In the first gameweek, 29,000 people turned up for the Gokulam Kerala game. The North-East derby was watched by around 15,000 people.
If the matches are not telecast, it will be extremely difficult for the clubs to find sponsors. Of course, nobody will want to invest if there is no marketing. In this case, Minerva Punjab will be the worst hit as only one of their matches will be shown on TV. We are not keeping Indian Arrows, supported by the AIFF and Odisha government, on this list.
Despite being successful every season without any marketing, I-League has always been soft target without any reasons. AIFF president Praful Patel, during ISL launch, had said I-League will be the premier tournament of the country. Like always, we have been fooled again.
#4 With the big clubs missing, will the protest be successful?
Apart from Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Indian Arrows, all I-League clubs are privately-owned. It was heartening to see the club joining hands together to protest against Star Sports’ decision.
But none of the big giants of Indian football joined the fray. Also, Churchill Brothers stayed out from the protest. The notable factor among this is the absence of Real Kashmir. Despite leading the protest, the club from northern part of India backed out in the last two days and was not even present in the press conference in Kolkata.
This is suspicious, given that they are one of the most affected teams in the fixture. It is not known whether they have withdrawn their support entirely or measuring the water, but Kashmir should’ve been there. The enthusiasm of the local people regarding football was setting an example for the other parts of the country, who had a bad perception about the state.
The absence of Churchill was understandable. They were relegated last season and were brought back by the AIFF as there was no representation from Western India. Staying away from the protest may be a way of paying back the courtesy.
But why were the Kolkata giants are silent? They are still very much part of the league and have a large fan following. Many of their supporters are vocal on the social media supporting the protest. However, both the clubs have denied receiving any invitation. Rumours are doing round that both the clubs will shift to the ISL next year. The indication is clear and loud.
There comes a question. Without the biggies, does the protest make any sense? The answer may be 'Yes'.
East Bengal and Mohun Bagan no more hold the bragging rights of the tournament. The I-League Private Clubs Association includes defending champions Minerva Punjab, 2016 winners Aizawl FC and current leaders Chennai City.
If the matter is reported to CAS and FIFA, then AIFF could land in deep trouble as FIFA prohibits third party interference in domestic leagues.
#3 Should the ISL be really made the top league?
Almost all the top countries who play the game, run a structured domestic league. Apart from the European countries, we have Asian countries like Japan and Korea where the domestic league is very popular and competitive. In India, the case if different though as ISL and I-League, both top-level competitions, run parallel.
The ISL became an instant hit since its inception with the extensive marketing. People flocking at the stadium in every match justified their motto. But as there is no promotion or relegation, the competitiveness in the games started dropping. Attendance and TRPs also dropped subsequently.
On the other hand, I-League has become increasingly popular with at least four teams were in the contention for the title in the last four seasons.
Clearly, this is not the way forward. For India to take the step at the world stage, there should be a unified league, where all the top teams would participate, not on the basis of money but by merit. If the franchise fees are waived and promotion-relegation rule introduced, ISL can easily be referred to as the top league.
But for now, it is a distant dream.
#2 What future lies ahead for I-League?
If ISL is made the top league, I-League would be made the second division tournament. As the current scenario goes, clubs playing in the I-League would suffer an existential crisis and may well shut their shop subsequently.
Clubs like Pune FC, Bharat FC, JCT, Mahindra United, Mumbai FC, Rangdajied United, Royal Wahingdoh etc were forced to shut down. One major problem is the lack of sponsors. As the I-League has no proper marketing in place, it is tough for the clubs to sustain for long time.
The I-League clubs are demanding to be equally treated like ISL. Honestly, it is the only way to keep the league alive. There should be adequate support, which means enough money to run a club and proper marketing.
As of now, nobody knows what will happen in next season.
#1 What's next for AIFF?
AIFF has so far acted as a mute spectator in the whole situation, which has angered the clubs. After Star Sports’ decision and subsequent protest, AIFF didn’t mince a word for a couple of days. After that, they were in dark before the decision was taken.
How can the football governing body of a country be kept in dark before such a big decision? It leads to the prominent question, who controls the league? Is it AIFF or some other body? There is no hiding of the fact that it is Star Sports who owns the I-League, with FSDL owning the ISL. It paints a grim picture of a national football body, which ‘aims’ to participate in 2026 World Cup.
Honestly, AIFF did nothing for the I-League except re-designing its website. There was no promotion, no marketing, nothing except the occasional retweets.
Lately, they made a proposal of live streaming the I-League matches on social but nothing concrete has been done yet. Before making mind-boggling headlines, it is time for them to self-introspect.
