HomeFootballATK-Mohun Bagan merger shows ISL is going the I-League...

ATK-Mohun Bagan merger shows ISL is going the I-League way

- Advertisement -

Churchill Brothers lifted the I-League trophy for the second time in their history on May 7, 2013, at Tilak Maidan, Goa, after a 1-1 draw with Mohun Bagan.

The Red Machines, as they are known, topped the I-League 2012-13 standings with 55 points from 26 games. Pune FC finished second with 52 points, while United Sikkim got relegated.

- Advertisement -

The 2012-13 I-League season was no ordinary football season in India. The I-League featured 14 clubs, and the departmental teams could participate for the last time before they were debarred by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for failing to establish themselves as ‘separate private bodies’ as per the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) regulations.

The I-League never managed to feature 14 teams again, and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) clubs such as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Air India and ONGC never really made their appearance in the division again.

The fall of PSU clubs

The debarment of the departmental sides from the Indian football league structure meant that well-paid public employees could no longer pursue football professionally.

Employees joining the PSUs in Sports Quota would form a significant share of the player pool in football and other sports in India. Several players featuring for the publicly-owned teams went on to play for the Indian national team, including the legendary IM Vijayan (Kerala Police & State Bank of Travancore).

Clubs like Air India, ONGC and  HAL, who had several top players in their ranks, could no longer compete in the I-League.

AIFF swung into action and began franchise entries into the I-League to fill the gap left by the debarred clubs, instead of a PSU league parallel to the national pyramid.

Clubs shut down and withdraw

Clubs like Bengaluru FC, Kalyani Bharat FC, DSK Shivajians, Chennai City FC, Minerva Punjab and Gokulam Kerala FC were added to the top division through franchise entries.

However, AIFF failed to protect several existing clubs, and a chunk of the player pool with club infrastructure has been lost over time. The AIFF failed to bring in sponsors, broadcasters with the assistance from IMG-Reliance over the years.

Clubs failed to continue participating in the top division due to the step-motherly treatment mooted to the I-League. With almost zero advertisements of the league, eminent Indian football clubs like Pune FC, Mumbai FC, Royal Wahingdoh, United Sikkim, Viva Kerala, JCT FC and Mahindra United were forced to shut down.

Clubs with a long legacy of supplying footballers to the national team such as Dempo SC, Salgaocar SC and Sporting Clube de Goa also withdrew from the league, further demoting the competition in the I-League.

Even franchise entries like DSK Shivajians and Kalyani Bharat FC shut shop over no incentives to field a team in the I-League. The I-League was all but a stable football structure.

The horrific condition of the Indian top division prompted IMG-Reliance to start a new league – the Indian Super League (ISL).

ISL, which began as a promotional franchise event, has now turned out to be the top division of the country, putting the final nail on the coffin, as far I-League is concerned.

ISL needs a policy overhaul

ISL replaced I-League with the promise of not going the I-League away. However, in hindsight, ISL has largely been moving towards becoming yet another I-League, only offering better pomp and show.

The sole aim of ISL was to promote football in the country and encouraging people to open football clubs in order to create a larger competitive player pool.

However, ISL has turned out as the monopoly in the Indian football market. The league is closed, which does not allow any incentive for I-League and I-League 2nd Division clubs to pump-in money in order to experience top division football.

The existing franchises have been in deplorable financial conditions. Clubs have been in losses worth millions without any possibility of a near-future break-even. The finances were so unstable that FC Pune City had to shut shop, and Hyderabad FC had to be formed.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8ytBpfgAmw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Now, one may argue that it does not really impact anything in terms of the player pool and youth teams. However, FC Pune City were one of the few ISL teams which focused on youth infrastructure, which has now been rendered useless.

Delhi Dynamos FC shifted to a new city altogether in Bhubaneshwar, potentially leaving their youth team players in Delhi City Leagues unemployed.

The fans of both the teams are also left with no teams to support. Football Sports Development (FSDL), the governing body of the ISL, had to play a role in preserving the football clubs, but it failed to do so.

Instead of allowing more number of football clubs, teams moved or shut down.

ATK-Mohun Bagan Merger is a bad sign of things

The ATK-Mohun Bagan merger is further testimony to the same problem. ATK had just started to make a name for themselves in Indian football. They started to have a sizable fanbase and had a very strong first-team policy.

Instead of adding Mohun Bagan to the ISL as a separate entity, the Green and Maroon have been merged with ATK, resulting in 50% of the potential employed player pool rendered without clubs.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCdINaaJgHh/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Indian football is in dire need of new football clubs with the intent of serving the interests of the sport in the country. The national and state bodies have a much bigger role to play than they have projected, in protecting football clubs of this country.

Indian football cannot have more mergers like ATK-Mohun Bagan just to fulfill the geographical and economic criteria of a football league.

The investment of the City Group in Mumbai City FC was a welcome move, felicitated by FSDL, and more such investment and sponsorship deals are the need of the moment in Indian football, to help clubs survive.

A bigger and open national league, competitive state leagues and a larger player pool are what Indian football needs. Indian football can’t just allow club mergers, club shutdowns and debarment of PSU sides right now.

Also Read: ISL: Top 10 Indian goalscorers of all time

- Advertisement -

15 Highly Educated Cricketers Of All Time

Cricket is a game of passion and dedication. A sport in which one involves themselves in camps and practice since early childhood. Due to...

Why are more and more MotoGP riders using the Noson nasal dilator?

Introduction MotoGP riders or athletes are physically fit and healthy individuals and their muscles are continuously functioning and used during the performance. As a fan...

Do we often under-appreciate Andy Flower? What’s his legacy?

There's a hint of sadness in noting that Zimbabwe has never been a dominant power in world cricket. But nothing could be sadder than...

How Come UFC Fighters Have Cauliflower Ears But Boxers Don’t?

The UFC has come a long way since its early days, wherein the fights seemed like modern-day gladiators due to its brutality and inconsistent...

5 spinners who can be India’s potential finger-spinners

The Indian cricket team has always been proud of its ability to produce world-class batsmen and similarly potent spinners. Though in recent times, the...

IPL 2018: The beautiful Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Being seated in the Sawai Mansingh stadium brings a different world, a world of difference away from the palpable excitement of watching truly India’s...

Top 5 Left Wingers In The World, Based On 2019-20 Season

Owing to the fact that football has evolved a lot since its inception and the tactics have changed a lot, the role of wingers...

The astonishing decline of Mario Balotelli

There was a time when Mario Balotelli was on top of the world.  The Italian talisman had scored two goals in the Euro 2012 semi-finals,...

What can be expected from the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix?

Heat in the air and heat inside the car- that's been the story of the Azerbaijan Grand prix. As F1 parks itself at Baku...

How Suresh Raina Batted India Into The Finals of 2011 World Cup

Its been 9 years, since India won the Cricket World Cup defeating Sri Lanka on 2 April, 2011. The images and visuals of...

Age Fraud in Indian Cricket: Are players really to be blamed?

There have been times while watching a cricket match when we tend to hear commentators comment on cricketers’ age. We as fans have many...

IPL 2018: The best from the West Indies

When one of nature's treacherous attacks on mankind- earthquakes- strike, their impact is measured on Richter's scale. When West Indians strike in a tournament...

Ajax XI if they didn’t sell their star players

Based in Amsterdam, AFC Ajax, who incidentally draw their name from the legendary Greek hero of the same name, are the most successful club...

Big change for India Women’s cricket as BCCI looks to finalise bowling coach soon

We are not even at the halfway stage of the 2018 cricketing season. It clearly seems there's no stopping India's women's cricket team. The...

5 famous players to play for both Leeds United and Liverpool

Leeds United are back in the Premier League after 16 years and will play Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday in their very first match...

- Advertisement -

- Advertisement -