India is set to host the AFC U-16 Championship this year from 15 September to 2 October and if it were up to Star Sports, no one in the country would get to see the nation’s aspiring young footballers in action. The tournament kicks off in Goa this Thursday with games scheduled to take place in Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (Fatorda) and GMC Stadium.
Teams from 16 nations, including India, have descended on the party capital of the country to vie for the prestigious title which functions as a qualifier for the FIFA U-17 World Cup next year to be held in Delhi.
While Star Sports has the rights to broadcast all AFC tournaments in India, they seemed to have initially shown no interest in doing the same for the U-16 Championship. Instead, they were willing to telecast the matches on their streaming site, Hotstar in a country where the masses have limited or no access to high-speed internet.
Star Sports' refusal to telecast the games also became a matter of embarrassment as other participating nations had elaborate plans to broadcast the tournament in their countries.
The channel invited widespread criticism over their decision as the host country itself was going to be without an official television partner. Football fans around the country were outraged, sparking off an online campaign with the hashtag #telecastAFCchampionship to urge them to change their minds.
Supporters of the sport took to Twitter to express their discontent especially since Star Sports claim to be the home of a premier variety of sports but can’t seem to find anything but cricket and kabaddi to broadcast.
Here’s a look at some of the tweets:
There was an online petition on Change.org to the same effect. All the vociferous online campaigning must have hit home as it was announced today that Star would broadcast the tournament live on television. Javier Ceppi, Tournament Director of the Local Organising Committee for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in India, sent out a tweet confirming the decision.
Indian football fans can breathe a sigh of relief as the future of the sport continues to shine for another day thanks to their own efforts.
