Boria Majumdar
Indian football has not been in good health. No one really knows what is happening with the nation’s top tier League and with several clubs stopping operations, there is a lot of uncertainty around. Kalyan Chaubey, President of the All India Football Federation(AIFF), has a lot to answer for.
Does the organisation have any answers for all this ongoing chaos? Can things improve going forward and, most importantly, will the league season happen? If so, when?
When I got on the Zoom call with Kalyan, I informed him that we would do the interview only if he agreed to answer each of the above. The good thing was that he agreed. Whether or not I agreed with him, he did take all my questions. And we will be playing the full interview today at 12 noon on RevSportz.
This piece, however, is on the league. I asked him bluntly if it would happen? If so, when? Generally, the league starts in mid-September and we are already midway through August. I, for one, don’t see it happening on time.
“We will leave no stone unturned to make the league happen,” Kalyan told me. “Football is a hugely popular sport in India, and there are millions of fans who watch the sport and thousands of footballers and others whose livelihood is associated with the sport. The AIFF on its part will do everything possible to make the league happen. On August 7, we met every stakeholder in Delhi and discussed things in detail. We know what we need to do.
“Normally, the league starts in September and continues till early May. If we are not able to start the league on time – for we might need two to three months to solve the current impasse – we will still have enough time on hand to hold the league and make it happen this season. Whether by playing more than one match a day or having multiple venues, we will do everything in our powers to make the league happen.”
I asked him if the clubs and FSDL were on the same page. “We had a very productive meeting,” said Kalyan. “In football, we can’t do anything unilaterally. It has to be a collective decision and every stakeholder will have a role in it. I can tell you that every party wants Indian football to grow and the league to happen. The marketing partner is seeking long-term clarity. This is because the MRA is coming to an end in December. We are seeking legal advice on the issues confronting us, but yet again I am confident that our footballers and fans will not be deprived. The competition will happen and there will be no season without the top tier league .”
We also discussed at length the appointment of Khalid Jamil as national team coach, and India’s regression in the FIFA rankings. While Kalyan had his theory on the rankings, on the national team’s performance, he had an interesting thing to say.
“If Indian strikers don’t get game time in clubs, how do you expect them to perform for the national team?” he lamented.
Now, this is a question for him and the AIFF. I don’t think he has an answer right now. Will the clubs listen to the parent body and play more Indian strikers in the future?
Honestly, I don’t have an answer to this question.
Full interview 12 noon.
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