Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The more things change, the more they remain the same for Indian football.
The All India Football Federation AIFF is planning to start an8216; all new8217; Professional League although none of the clubs in the country meet the Asian Football Confederation AFC parameters.
They advertise, though, of the foreign referees who would call the matches. But, the total number of appearances international referees will make is one- in tomorrow8217;s game between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. About 70,000 people are expected to watch the match, ten times the attendance of any other smaller match.
Since JCT won the National Football League NFL in its inaugural year, it has been reduced to being an annual Goa-Bengal affair.
No wonder then, that spectators and sponsors have lost interest.
The Premier Division League, brain child of Bengal8217;s football governing body, Indian Football Association IFA, has met with the same response. IFA Secretary Subrata Dutta had said the league would set benchmarks in professionalism.
The league has begun this season with the eight top teams of last year8217;s Super Division, and the IFA is apologetic about christening it professional. The only criterion a club needs to fulfill is to have 70 per cent of their players contracted. Looking at the quality of play in the league, Dutta now says it can hardly be called semi-professional.
