Opinion AIFF takes a hit with ISLs delay
This is the second time in as many years that a tournament of this magnitude has failed to take off as planned.
By pushing back the much-hyped Indian Super League (ISL) by eight months,IMG-Reliance have bought themselves extra time to set their house in order. But Indian footballs commercial rights holders have severely dented its credibility,not just in the country but globally as well.
At a time when the All India Football Federation (AIFF),with IMG-Rs assistance,is dreaming of hosting global football events such as the Under-17 World Cup and the Club World Cup,repeated postponements of ambitious projects that have made headlines across the world project a wrong image.
This is the second time in as many years that a tournament of this magnitude has failed to take off as planned. In 2011,Premier League Soccer (PLS) a tournament planned on similar lines to the ISL,which was to be held in Bengal was announced amidst much fanfare. However,it fizzled out in a matter of few months owing to financial constraints and lack of infrastructure.
The players who had signed up for PLS dared to venture into India again,joining hands with IMG-R for the Super League. You could pardon them for expecting the tournament to be held as planned with the involvement of the sports governing body and one of the worlds top sports management firms. That hasnt turned out to be the case. This,in fact,is also the second time IMG-R have postponed their tournament after it was originally planned for January this year.
As much as IMG-R is to be held responsible for this,the All India Football Federation (AIFF) cannot shy away from taking the blame either. The AIFF gave its marketing partners a free hand in organising the tournament,turned a blind eye to the ground realities and sat passively as IMGR and the I-League clubs publicly traded blows.
The sequence of events at present,seems eerily similar to what happened with the PLS. IMG-R and AIFF will hope that the script ends the right way this time.
(Mihir is a senior correspondent based in Mumbai)
mihir.vasavda@expressindia.com
Share
