Indian Football Woes

 AT THE TIME of writing, Indian football is in coma. The All India Football Federation (AIFF), which governs football in India, wasn’t able to generate a single bid for its broadcast tender and chances are that the Indian Super League (ISL) might not even happen this season. In such a scenario, India might lose its continental licence and could even risk a ban. From the perspective of the players and fans, nothing could be worse. Clubs like Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Kerala Blasters have stopped practice and without a tournament in sight, such calls are logical. No one has an answer if ISL can indeed happen.

Can the sport be salvaged from here? Can AIFF resurrect itself and save the game in India? While there are no straight answers, a deep dive reveals that not all is lost. Having spoken to the prospective bidders, three principal issues or objections come to light. First is the issue of ownership of the league. The commercial partners are unwilling to accept complete AIFF ownership when they are the ones spending the money and burning the oil. Second is the issue of operational control of the league. Yet again, the commercial partners don’t think its viable to suggest that AIFF has complete control over operations. They believe it should be a collaborative effort and argue that nowhere in the world has such a thing been written in the constitution. They argue that the federation should decide on these matters keeping in mind the commercial scenario and the tournament regulations. Finally, it is the issue of relegation and promotion. While all are in sync that relegation-promotion is extremely important, some believe it should be done systematically and only when the league stabilises. With the Mohammedan Sporting Club example in front of them, no one is keen on jumping the gun.

At the time of writing, it is learnt that AIFF has just completed a meeting and it will, under the leadership of Justice Nageshwara Rao, move the Supreme Court requesting some urgent changes in the tender to make it viable for prospective bidders. It is being looked at as the only option to generate interest and solve the impasse.

In any case, the current dispensation under Kalyan Chaubey has not done any justice to their reputation. In fact, it will go down as one of the worst, if not the worst, tenures in AIFF history. To even contemplate that the nation’s premier football league might not happen is like a death knell for the sport. Imagine the impact on players and fans alike. For players, it is about their livelihoods. They don’t know what can happen and will have little or no incentive left to practice. If that impacts the quality of football in the country, who is to be held responsible? For fans, the life blood of the sport, they don’t have any football action to turn up to in the next few months except the Super Cup semifinal and final. Many will move to supporting another sport and football will lose out.

Some have asked me if AIFF can organise the league on its own. The answer is no. The way it has organised the Super Cup is extremely disappointing. The Derby, arguably the biggest clash in Indian football between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, was watched by 200 people and was played in front of empty stands. Other games were worse. There were no more than 50 people in the stands for a football game. The pitch was horrible and the players risked injury in almost every game. In every way, it was not the way a tournament needs to be organised. It is evidence AIFF can’t do things on their own and the only way ahead is for the Supreme Court to reconsider and allow changes in the order and then for AIFF to reach out and convince the bidders. Not all is lost yet, but the situation is as bad as it can ever be.