Football, once more

One of the enduring mysteries of Indian sport has been the persistent struggle of football, a sport that has captured the collective imagination of the entire world, to create its own identity in this country. After several failed attempts, another chapter is set to unfold, sparking hope that the “beautiful game” will finally get off the incubator. The powers-that-be are taking no chances. The Indian Super League (ISL) is a brazen incorporation of a widely popular and hugely successful blueprint brought to light by the IPL. The ISL organisers have also fallen back on the oldest and incessantly tried-and-tested strategy in Indian marketing — roping in Bollywood bigwigs and cricketing superstars to promote their brand.

To its credit, the ISL also boasts of a number of footballing luminaries on its roster. And you can expect fans who have had to be content with stargazing on TV to flock to the stadiums when the likes of Alessandro del Piero, Nicolas Anelka and David Trezeguet take the field, not to forget coach Zico manning the sidelines. Unlike in other leagues in India, the ISL teams will also have the liberty to field more foreign players than their Indian counterparts to ensure that there is no compromise on quality.

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But the proof of the pudding cannot be restricted to just the icing. The success of the ISL will not necessarily mean the development of Indian football. It will be too much to expect the homegrown talent to replicate the starry skills of their high-profile teammates just by rubbing shoulders or sharing the field with them. The onus should be on those with vested interests in the ISL to ensure that they do not remain obsessed with the sustainability of the tournament and also channel their energies towards uplifting the standard of the game in the country.