Leicester City are currently top of
the English Premier League. Catalan
giants Barcelona thrashed rivals
Valencia 7-0 on Thursday. But if you
were to ask Indian football fans
about the state of affairs in India’s
own league, the majority would
probably draw a blank.
But it would be unfair to blame
them. Any keen watcher of India’s
sporting landscape would find it
difficult to spot any trace of the Hero
I-League, India’s very own football
league. It exists in a vacuum of its
own and only the most ardent sports
fan is aware of its existence. And
even those few die-hards find it
hard to keep track of its affairs, at a
time when other Indian sporting
leagues make concerted efforts to
drum up curiosity and attract
eyeballs.
The poor cousin
It is difficult to avoid comparisons
between the cash-rich Indian Super
League and the I-League. Apart from
the furious marketing campaigns
launched before the start of a
season, the ISL makes sure that it
cannot be ignored by ensuring that
all its matches are telecast on
different channels, accompanied by
commentary in regional languages.
And for those who do not have
access to television, matches in the
ISL are readily available for fans to
access on their digital devices.
Contrast that with the 2016 edition
of the I-League. Only 45 out of a total
of 72 matches this season will be
telecast. There has been no telecast
of the home games of Aizawl FC, the
newest entrants to the I-League this
season who have impressed many
with their exciting style of football.
And much unlike the ISL, fans who
want to keep up with their favourite
clubs are forced to rely on videos
made by supporter groups – there
are no official match videos
available anywhere on the Internet.
The complete lack of visibility of
Indian football became painfully
apparent when Mohun Bagan
defeated Singaporean club
Tampines Rovers on January 27 in
the first round of the AFC Champions
League, Asian club football’s most
prestigious competition. This was
the first time an Indian club had ever
won a match in the competition, but
few could watch this historic
achievement live. No major sports
channel telecast the event, except a
Bengali news channel, that too with
Bengali commentary.
On its last legs
Other than the shoddy production
coverage of the few matches that
are broadcast, a visit to the stadiums
to watch an I-League match
revealed the step-motherly attitude
the All India Football Federation has
adopted towards this tournament.
Matches in the ISL are a glamorous
affair, with stadiums decked up in
their team’s colours and massive
cut-outs of the top players on
display. In contrast, for an I-League
match, the same stadiums remain
pitifully bare, with no indication that
a football match is going on within
its premises.
With a lack of visibility and context,
the I-League is doomed. Clubs have
already started to back out and it
will only get worse. Up against the
massively cash-ruch ISL, it has no
chance and is probably on its last
legs. Matches take place every
weekend, goals are scored, a few
teams move up and down the table
but no one, except the hardcore fan,
notices. For all intents and purposes,
it is India’s “invisible” League.
For the record, Bengaluru FC are on
top of the table currently with a
one-point lead over second placed
East Bengal. Aizawl FC are currently
in seventh position with only one
win, but have shown plenty of
tenacity in their debut season in the
top flight. Sadly for these plucky
footballers from the highlands of
Aizawl, not many will be at hand to
track their heart-warming tale. Why football's I-League is well and truly India’s ‘invisible’ league
the English Premier League. Catalan
giants Barcelona thrashed rivals
Valencia 7-0 on Thursday. But if you
were to ask Indian football fans
about the state of affairs in India’s
own league, the majority would
probably draw a blank.
But it would be unfair to blame
them. Any keen watcher of India’s
sporting landscape would find it
difficult to spot any trace of the Hero
I-League, India’s very own football
league. It exists in a vacuum of its
own and only the most ardent sports
fan is aware of its existence. And
even those few die-hards find it
hard to keep track of its affairs, at a
time when other Indian sporting
leagues make concerted efforts to
drum up curiosity and attract
eyeballs.
The poor cousin
It is difficult to avoid comparisons
between the cash-rich Indian Super
League and the I-League. Apart from
the furious marketing campaigns
launched before the start of a
season, the ISL makes sure that it
cannot be ignored by ensuring that
all its matches are telecast on
different channels, accompanied by
commentary in regional languages.
And for those who do not have
access to television, matches in the
ISL are readily available for fans to
access on their digital devices.
Contrast that with the 2016 edition
of the I-League. Only 45 out of a total
of 72 matches this season will be
telecast. There has been no telecast
of the home games of Aizawl FC, the
newest entrants to the I-League this
season who have impressed many
with their exciting style of football.
And much unlike the ISL, fans who
want to keep up with their favourite
clubs are forced to rely on videos
made by supporter groups – there
are no official match videos
available anywhere on the Internet.
The complete lack of visibility of
Indian football became painfully
apparent when Mohun Bagan
defeated Singaporean club
Tampines Rovers on January 27 in
the first round of the AFC Champions
League, Asian club football’s most
prestigious competition. This was
the first time an Indian club had ever
won a match in the competition, but
few could watch this historic
achievement live. No major sports
channel telecast the event, except a
Bengali news channel, that too with
Bengali commentary.
On its last legs
Other than the shoddy production
coverage of the few matches that
are broadcast, a visit to the stadiums
to watch an I-League match
revealed the step-motherly attitude
the All India Football Federation has
adopted towards this tournament.
Matches in the ISL are a glamorous
affair, with stadiums decked up in
their team’s colours and massive
cut-outs of the top players on
display. In contrast, for an I-League
match, the same stadiums remain
pitifully bare, with no indication that
a football match is going on within
its premises.
With a lack of visibility and context,
the I-League is doomed. Clubs have
already started to back out and it
will only get worse. Up against the
massively cash-ruch ISL, it has no
chance and is probably on its last
legs. Matches take place every
weekend, goals are scored, a few
teams move up and down the table
but no one, except the hardcore fan,
notices. For all intents and purposes,
it is India’s “invisible” League.
For the record, Bengaluru FC are on
top of the table currently with a
one-point lead over second placed
East Bengal. Aizawl FC are currently
in seventh position with only one
win, but have shown plenty of
tenacity in their debut season in the
top flight. Sadly for these plucky
footballers from the highlands of
Aizawl, not many will be at hand to
track their heart-warming tale. Why football's I-League is well and truly India’s ‘invisible’ league
