Football funda: Kaun banega multi-crorepati?

Over the next few days the All India Football Federation will decide who will get the rights to telecast Indian football for the next 10 yea...

Over the next few days the All India Football Federation will decide who will get the rights to telecast Indian football for the next 10 years. Given the sport’s potential and general popularity, it’s a huge decision — and it’s become even bigger because of the money at stake.

Production house Nimbus has bid Rs 504 crore for the rights, Zee Sports Rs 370 crore. Three other candidates — sports biggies ESPN, NDTV and Kolkata’s Leisure Sports Management — haven’t mentioned any figure in their bids but reportedly offered an equal share of the profits. Football never had it so good — AIFF sources say they expected around Rs 120-150 crore — but there are niggling questions that refuse to go away: How real are these figures? How much of this is down to football? And how much good will it really do?

Industry sources say the inflated bids could be due to two factors: One, rights to most of the marketable sports — cricket, hockey, tennis, European and South American football, even rugby — have already been sold. That leaves a new company, such as Zee Sports, with precious available live action.

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The second possible factor is that the entry of big players — NDTV, ESPN — and an anticipated high bid could have prompted other bidders to inflate their figures.

However, asked to comment on record, the bidders offer different explanations. ‘‘Indian football has a future’’, says Nimbus president Satish Menon. ‘‘If you understand the present deficiencies in Indian football and if you move systematically, then much can be done for the game. Our bid amount has taken into account the future plans and programmes in this light.’’

In their presentation, Zee Sports stated the Rs 370 crores could be recovered through marketing of Indian football. ‘‘We also have a lot of plans for football if we get the rights’’, a senior executive told The Indian Express on condition of anonymity. ‘‘So though the amount seems astronomical, it can be put to good use if planned properly.’’

Their confidence is at odds with industry opinion that such figures are unviable. LSM director SS Dasgupta — his company was at one time the AIFF’s official marketing agent — agrees. ‘‘I can only say the amounts are almost impossible to recover by selling the property mentioned in the AIFF tender. The products that the AIFF have mentioned in the tender are a 10-team National League, Federation Cup, Santosh Trophy and international matches involving India.

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‘‘The other FIFA approved events which are saleable nowadays — international futsal tournaments, beach football —have been skipped. So I don’t know how the mentioned products can be sold at such astronomical amounts… And because the Federation Cup and Santosh Trophy have not been held regularly of late, they will be difficult to sell at high price.’’ The evaluation committee is expected to decide on the rights by June 30.