Boria Majumdar
Indian football urgently needs a solution. With the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) meeting in good faith at some point today, three things need to be ironed out. First, the assumption is that FSDL had a monopoly call over Indian football rights, and it was an exploitative relationship. To gauge the ground reality, the best thing to do is float a tender. Let the AIFF float a tender, with FSDL agreeing to that call, and it will be known if there are takers for Indian football rights – companies that can help fund the ISL and more. Second, clubs should be involved in the meeting. They are equal stakeholders and need to have a voice. Third and most important, while a short-term solution will stop immediate heartburn and allow the ISL season to get back on track, it won’t help things in the long term.
Personally speaking, I don’t see buyers investing in a sport where India is nowhere globally. What’s the return on investment (ROI)? How much money will be generated from broadcast? When we say FSDL had a monopoly, the question to ask is how much money they made? Have they made hundreds of crores in profit in the last decade? The grim ground reality is they have lost hundreds of crores.
Ask any ISL club how much money they make. Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG), for example, lose close to 40 crores every year despite being India’s most successful club. East Bengal too lose money every year. John Abraham, one of the most charismatic owners in Indian football, has already spent 150 crores or so to keep NorthEast United going. In the absence of serious broadcast revenue, there is never going to be money made from Indian football. And broadcast revenue is a far cry in the current market when the men’s national team is languishing at 133 in the FIFA rankings. Add the ban on real-money gaming, and you know sponsors are likely to stay away.
Except for the Kolkata Derby and some games involving Bengaluru FC, Goa or Kerala – and, to an extent, Mumbai – why should companies invest in football? In recent times, India have lost to Afghanistan and struggled to defeat Bangladesh. What’s the ROI here? The AIFF has let things drift for years, and the situation now is dire. With court intervention, we might indeed have a season of the ISL, but to think it will help Indian football going forward is to live with false hope.
With elections a real possibility, based on what has transpired in the Supreme Court, the question is whether the present office-bearers have the zeal to solve things or if are they more focussed on saving their chairs. There is a strong murmur that Praful Patel could be on his way back, and current President Kalyan Chaubey might find it difficult to carry on. While all this is still in the realm of conjecture, the truth is that not all is well within the AIFF.
As the meeting takes place today, I for one believe the focus should be on a long-term solution. The league has to happen for sure, but in proper shape and form. It is India’s top-tier league, and can’t ride into rough water every year. A solution is indeed needed, but a long-term one.
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