Ever since the Indian Premier League or as more famously referred to as IPL came into being in 2008, it has completely changed the dynamics of Indian sport. What with events based on this highly successful model becoming a part of the badminton, tennis, billiards and most other sporting calendars, the Indian Super League is the latest to join this bandwagon.
Though the promoters and interested parties in the league is of the view that it is the best thing to have happened to football in India, but it’s otherwise.
The Indian Super League unlike most football leagues around the world runs for two months a year. The league claims to have numerous "Big" players involved in the game. Honestly, it has "big" names who are done and dusted with their careers and are looking to make a quick buck with only two months of effort, whereas any other league would require 10 months of match fitness.
Comparing it with the I-league, which is the official football league of our country, teams participating in it have the extra reward of places in the AFC Champions League, showing it is recognised by the Asian Football Confederation. It runs from January to May and has talents from the grass-root level and have foreign players who may not be "big" names but are still in their prime.
So how does the ISL affect the I-league? The ISL with its higher salaries, glitz and glamour is eating away the hunger in the players to toil hard in the I-league, to play and win for the country. Yes, footballers deserve as much monetary benefits as any other sport but then not by playing low quality football against players “twice” their ages.
India, a country with a population of 1.25 billion finds it hard to produce a set of 20 world class footballers. It is shameful to say the least. And with distractions like the ISL, which with all due respect is nothing but an exhibition tournament eating into our already shallow resources, it is a long road ahead.
But then it is not an impossible task. AIFF needs to think on this seriously take complete control of the situation by either merging the I-league with the ISL or completely disbanding the ISL.
