A CURSORY EXAMINATION of the ‘Invitation To Bid’ issued Thursday by Football Sports Development Limited, organisers of the Indian Super League, clears up the air as it were on where FSDL is going with its ITB in the aftermath of little club Aizawl FC’s I-League win throwing a huge spanner in the works on its plans to create a new structure for Indian club football.
And here we take every word in the statement issued Thursday by FSDL as indicative of the thinking on the matter within the three way joint venture between Reliance, Star India and IMG.
First is that of the ten cities where bids have been invited from prospective team owners, only Kolkata already has an ISL team. To quote directly from the statement issued by FSDL: “It being clarified that in case of the city of Kolkata being awarded to the winning bidder, the respective team (emphasis ours) shall hold its home games outside Kolkata for the next two consecutive Indian Super League Seasons (2017/2018 and 2018/2019).”
Ergo if any new team comes in it will be EITHER Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, NOT both.
Further, on the matter of home games, it needs noting that this was an assurance given by FSDL to Kolkata Games and Sports Pvt Ltd, which owns Atlético de Kolkata (ATK), that the ISL will have one city, one team rule for at least two seasons if a new team is inducted into the league.
The second point made in FSDL’s statement is this: “Under and subject to the ITB, one (01) to three (03) new winning bidders shall be enrolled and awarded the right to participate in the ISL.” Our question. Why 1, 2, or 3? Why not 4… or more?
The answer is provided (we think) in the ten cities listed by FSDL that are up for bidding. FSDL had listed the cities in alphabetical order, we have listed them in order of importance/relevance to the current dynamics as – Bengaluru, Kolkata, Durgapur, Siliguri, Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Ahmedabad, Cuttack, Hyderabad, and Thiruvananthapuram.
All indications point to it being more or less a done deal that the JSW Group owned Bengaluru FC will be plying its trade in the ISL from the coming season. There is a caveat though. The club has ruled out playing in ISL unless it becomes the undisputed top division league. Can FSDL provide that assurance? It can certainly create the conditions for it.
A fallout of the expected move by Bengaluru FC into the ISL ranks will also be that the I-League will be bereft of big name teams outside of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal.
Therein lies the threat as well. Since the merger is off the cards, the two leagues running parallel is not something the Big 2 of Kolkata can block, though East Bengal representative Debabrata Sarkar is spot on when he says that a longer I-League and ISL, running parallel to each other, is not feasible. To quote from a comment he made to goal.com: “I don’t think ISL and I-League can co-exist.”
If, as is being reported, FSDL’s plan is to run ISL from September (immediately after the monsoons) to April (before the Indian Premier League action kicks off), the Kolkata fan would be asked to choose between attending ATK games and those featuring East Bengal or Mohun Bagan. The answer is self evident.
It’s an existential threat that the two Kolkata giants are facing and one that requires a separate discussion.
Coming back to the cities listed, there are three in West Bengal – Kolkata, Durgapur, Siliguri. No one seriously expects a bid for Durgapur or Siliguri. So their being included has everything to do with the fact that if Mohun Bagan or East Bengal do somehow manage to get into the ISL, either one will be a home base for the next two seasons.
That leaves one spot. The prime candidate here is the Tata Group, which is exploring the possibility of acquiring a franchise. Should the Tata Group join the fray, it is likely to choose Jamshedpur bit could also consider Ranchi. The Group has been running the successful Tata Football Academy in Jamshedpur since 1987 so it will be a natural extension.
So what gives for I-League champions Aizawl FC? We discussed this in an earlier article and also speculated at a possible link-up with the Tatas.
Well it so turns out that there is already a fruitful partnership going between Tata Trusts and Aizawl FC. The philanthropic arm of the salt to software conglomerate financially supports the club as part of its successful and deeply embedded community outreach programme in the North-East, which is centred around football. Taking that relationship to the next level would benefit both parties.
There are four cities remaining on the ITB list to be accounted for – Ahmedabad, Cuttack, Hyderabad, and Thiruvananthapuram. We have no view here so will stay off offering one.
POSTSCRIPT: If Aizawl messed up FSDL’s merger plans, then the statement issued by West Bengal’s Indian Football Association, warning it would start a parallel tournament if parent body All India Football Federation does not come up with an acceptable solution for a unified top-tier national league, has an even bigger disruptive potential.
To quote IFA secretary Utpal Ganguli at a news conference on the eve of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal’s meeting with AIFF president Praful Patel in Mumbai last Saturday: “I am still hopeful of a solution. If required, we will do a new tournament. We will do what it takes to disrupt this arrangement. And that includes seeking the help of our state government. We can’t let the AIFF’s commercial partners almost dictate things.”
Ganguli further said: “We are in talks with the clubs from North-East and Goa about exploring all avenues to protect the identity and rights of the traditional clubs.”
It is worth noting that the AIFF came about as a revolt against the hegemony of West Bengal in Indian football administration. If the IFA does manage to create a rival football grouping in the country, it would literally be a back to the future scenario for administration of the game in the country and a recipe for chaos at a time when the world is taking note of the revival of soccer in the country.
