Why ISL is Good News for Indian Football

Football is a world sport. It touches more than half the human life on earth in some way or the other.

And some animal life too...

We Indians suck at football. We recently dropped another 5 positions on the FIFA rankings (I had no idea there were 5 more positions below us) to 172. At least now, there can't be too many more positions left below us to fall to.

How and why are we so bad? These questions have been discussed and dissected by all the 253 people in India who care about the sport and the answer seems to be anywhere from 'climatic conditions dont suit football' to 'there's no infrastructure' to 'we're too short to compete with the Europeans' to 'Cricket has killed every other sport' to a plethora of other reasons. While I also agree that there is some truth to all those factors, they can be easily countered by giving various examples from all over the world where those factors haven't really been able to hold back the development of the beautiful game.

In this article, I'm not going to discuss these reasons or give more reasons of my own. I'm going to discuss a possible solution to improving the condition of the game. I'm going to discuss what all could be done and should be done and more importantly, what all is already being done. More specifically, one Hero which has emerged on the scene, a Hero that we don't deserve but a Hero that we all need.

No...not this guy!

The Hero is...............Hero Indian Super League!

Yes, the glitzy, shiny new cousin of our very own poor Ramu Kaka of football leagues, the I-League (don't be fooled by the 'I', it wasn't made in China by Apple). But it looks like the same old wine in a new, shiny, celebrity endorsed bottle, I hear you say. Well, I think sometimes a makeover makes a lot of difference.

It really does, trust me!

For any sport to be successful today, it has to be commercially viable. While European football is all about TV rights money and huge sponsorship deals, South America is more of a talent factory where the next Messis and Neymars are made and shipped to Europe for big money. The moneys earned this way are ploughed back to develop of sport further (by attracting better talent, investing in infrastructure and youth development programs etc). That's how the clubs and the leagues stay afloat and the sport prospers.

In India, the I-League has failed to do any of the above. It is not attractive enough for good talent which limits its power to attract fans which then makes it impossible to attract money in the form of sponsorship or broadcast rights. It doesn't even have necessary infrastructure to develop it's own talent and follow the South American model.

South American model

Hero Indian Super League bids to change all that. And it has been making all the right noises so far. Let's take a look at how ISL might spark a football revolution in India and awaken a sleeping giant.

International Talent

ISL has managed to bring some star names (albeit a little yesteryear) of world football to India. The likes of Malouda, Roberto Carlos, Anelka, Simao, Tuncay have made the footballing world sit up and take notice. Unlike in season one, however, the international players in season two are contributing not just by selling the name of the league to the world but also by performing admirably on the football pitch. The crop of international players this season is much younger in comparison to last season. This not only results in better quality football (thus attracting more nuanced football fans) but also in forcing Indian players to raise their standards. The outcome of this will most certainly be that some Indians will not be able to match the required standards and fall off the wayside while some will most certainly thrive in such illustrious company. We've already seen some young players like Mandar Desai (23), Jackichand Singh(23) and Sandesh Jhingan(22) perform admirably and they will only get better.

International coaches like David Platt, Roberto Carlos, Habas and others bring their own brand of football which will give Indians much needed tactical nous. Looking at Indian national team fail at every possible challenge over the past few years, I've realized that although some of our players have talent, they can't match the tactical discipline and know-how of their rivals. Things like positioning sense, organization of defences, role of a playmaker etc are some of the things I've seen missing from our game. Getting coached by these stalwarts of the game will instil these qualities in Indian players.

Celebrity Attraction

Everyone's touching the ball. John is smart, he's touching God!

We Indians are obsessed with celebrities. We lap anything up which the celebrities promote. Then it is no surprise that the celebrity owners have made immense contribution by lending their face to Indian football. Celebrities attract the fence-sitting fan who rarely watches football (maybe a cricket fan). Let's face it, those who are entirely disinterested in any kind of sport will never watch football, celebrity or not. The hope is that these fence-sitter will eventually turn into connoisseurs once they've experienced the game for a while.

Sponsors and Broadcasters

The moneybags. All the buzz and hoopla around ISL attracts big sponsors and broadcast rights money. This money is vital for the sustenance of the league.

All this is fine but how does it help Indian football, I hear you ask!

Well, first of all as I've already mentioned before, the players are better off due to all the international exposure (of the non-IIPM kind). There's another beautiful thing happening behind the scenes. The grassroots program! This program is essentially concerned with investing in football at the grassroot level. Youth development, infrastructure etc are the big things on the agenda. The idea is to create a healthy supply line of talent to the ISL clubs (not much unlike the South American model) and reduce dependence on imported talent. Having said that, imported talent will always have its own place but, you get the idea. Some clubs, like Atletico de Kolkata, can even think about exporting their young talent to Europe and even player exchanges but that's a pipe dream for now.

For a football fan like me, Hero ISL is a great start for a beautiful footballing future of the country. We can even dare to dream beyond the World Cup qualifying stages (too many IIPM references in the article, sorry)! 

Beat City's mid field and Beat City

The ‘noisy neighbors’ have indeed come a long way, as Sir Alex himself would agree. Any United fan, as much as he/she would hate to admit it, City are now potential rivals. While the derby has always been fiercely fought, made no less vitriolic by the incessant ‘Munich’ chants by the City supporters, the fixture has never been an important one for United to look forward to since the Premier League has begun.

United’s fans looked forward to the game purely for the bagging rights. And, who could blame them? Kiki Musampa and Antoine Sibierski were City’s most potent attacking threats not long ago. Fast forward five years from then and you have the likes of Dzeko, Tevez, and Nasri warming those Eastland benches. Of course, they have a long way to go; United’s achievements dwarfs City’s; and they are not even very popular as the empty seats on a big European night at the Etihad suggest. But, they must be recognized, along with Chelsea, as the hurdles in United’s path to their 20^th title.

Contrary to the self proclaimed tag of ‘Barcelona of England’, City’s strength lies not in its attacking flair but rather in their defensive rigidity. The 4-2-3-1 system that Mancini relishes almost ensures that City play with a back six when they defend. The deep lying mid-fielders – Barry’s and De Jong’s job description is essentially to man mark and stop the opponents’ playmaker. In the last year’s derby De Jong was like an incessant pest in Rooney’s park, and his job this time would be no different. So, how would United line up to combat that formation given their reliance on Rooney’s brilliance to cut open the opponents?

Two players that could really make a difference and throw a spanner into City’s works are Michael Carrick and Danny Welbeck. Carrick, the much maligned player by the fans, is what Sir Alex turns to almost every time he looks to a game plan where possession football becomes the name of the game. What usually goes unnoticed is Carrick’s ability to originate most of United’s attacks and in turn to maintain United’s shape. Carrick’s cultured ability to retain the ball pulls the opponent’s mid fielders into United’s half and that allows space for the likes of Rooney and Nani to operate. Though United-City matches have had that Kamikaze streak in them for the last few years, I do not think we would witness matches of that intensity this time around. City are at the top of the table and they would want to be so after they walk away from Old Trafford.

But, what If City sit back and defend deep with no intention to take three points from the game? United’s possession in the mid field would be rendered redundant. Danny Welbeck then provides another lethal option to unlock City’s defense. Welbeck’s ability to fall deep, collect the ball and beat a man or two provides him an edge over Hernandez. Welbeck has come a long way since making his debut in the league against Stoke and scoring a cracker of a goal. Welbeck must have learnt from the likes of Darren Bent, whose primary strength is his movement of the ball, when at Sunderland and more so from Michael Owen. His combination with Nani and Young has been terrific this season where he has constantly exchanged positions with those two. That ability of his ensures that the center backs are drawn all over the place and that might be the key to allow Rooney have the freedom and the space to make an impact on the match.

For all the hype that the derbies generate, they tend to disappoint us with the sober, dull games. The Manchester derby though, going by the previous encounters, promises to be different.

Sport for Peace

Ok, this is not a football rant. It does not really belong on this blog but there is a slight relevance.

This is a rant about a couple of recent events that deeply moved me.

It started off on a lazy afternoon at work when I found a colleague nervously looking at his laptop screen and frantically refreshing the browser. I asked him what was going on, and he said - "Dude, I'm really excited. Sachin's on fire today. He's already hit 150, and I have a strong feeling he's going to get 200 today!"

I replied, "What the hell are we doing here then? Let's head to the Cafeteria!" So we went and got ourselves good seats in front of the TV in the Cafeteria. There was already a small crowd there that included amongst others, the CIO of our company. Looking at him, I thought, 'If he's here, no one's going to question us about not being at work!'

Slowly the crowd built up as Sachin inched closer to the magic figure, the excitement in the air was growing. Our small cafeteria was already bulging with over 60 people watching earnestly. Every Sachin run was cheered and one of the loudest cheers was when he crossed 194, offering redemption for a lot of us who still have nightmares of that day when Saeed Anwar went ballistic. No surprise when every Dhoni six was booed, I'm sure the Indian captain was having a little fun being the footnote of one of the greatest innings ever.

As Sachin knocked a single to reach his 200, the collective cheer in our little cafeteria was echoed around the country as millions of people celebrated this occasion. I am not a big fan of cricket nowadays but I was proud to have witnessed this great innings by the one of the greatest sportsmen of our generation.

Fast forward a few days, I was at the Dhyanchand stadium for the Hockey world cup. I watched 3 matches - Australia vs Spain, Pakistan vs South Africa, and finally India vs England. After an entertaining couple of matches, we all waited eagerly for the Indian match to start.

The stadium which was half empty half an hour before the match quickly filled up and more than 20000 fans eagerly waited for the match to commence. The line-ups were announced, and the players strode on to the pitch for the pre-match ceremony. First the English anthem was played as all the fans stood up to pay respect. Then, one of the most goose-bumpy (if that's a word!) incidents happened to me that day.

As the Indian national anthem was played, 20000 fans sang along creating one of the memorable experiences I've ever had. Singing along to the national anthem with full pride in our great nation and total support for our boys on the field, I felt a thrill that I have experienced very few times before. As the national anthem ended and we all took our seats, I could not stop smiling at the fantastic moment that I had just experienced.

The downside to the match was that India lost, but that day, I'm sure that every one of the 20000 fans in the stadium were fully behind the Indian team cheering every play of the match.

The point to this rant is that Sport gives you such moments, when despite all the differences in our nation - religion, language, caste, creed - we get behind our national team. We cheer whole-heartedly for our nation. We celebrate sporting greatness no matter which background or from where the person playing the sport belongs to.

We love Leander Paes, a Christian, for all his grand slams. We cheer Sania Mirza, a Muslim, every time she steps on to the tennis court. We celebrated Harbhajan Singh, a Sikh's hat-trick because he is an Indian. The little master, Sachin is loved by every person in the country, be it a Hindu, Muslim, Punjabi, Telugu, Brahmin, or any of the other castes in the country.

Recently when Sachin Tendulkar had the gall to take on the MNS and say that Mumbai belongs to everyone, he had to face the ire of these ill-informed activists. But little did they realize that as much as Sachin thinks Mumbai belongs to everyone in the country, the country believes that Sachin belongs to us all. If you take on Sachin, we will take you on. You better be prepared to face our wrath!

A lot of people worry about the differences of the nation hampering our growth. But I ask, what differences? When India plays any sport, do we not support every person of the team? Aren't we all behind the team no matter if a Hindu/Muslim/Christian is the captain?

I recently told a friend that although I am not a big fan of cricket, I am grateful for it. It plays a great role in doing what the best of politicians have struggled to do.

Sport has this effect. It unites people.

If I had a say in this government, I would greatly increase the budget for all sports in the country. Not just cricket, but football, hockey, tennis, badminton.... heck, even croquet and logrolling!

It'll definitely do our nation a world of good :-)

United on top, Scholes remains top dog

Manchester United have climbed to the top of the table by beating Stoke City at the Britannia stadium. United dominated the match and most of the play was played in the final third United’s pitch. The old guards, Giggs and Scholes, once again tunred on the screws, rolled back the years and helped their side gain three points after Chelsea lost their first game of the season, rather unexpectedly, against Wigan.

Highlights of Man United vs Stoke City

Highlights of Chelsea vs Wigan Athletic

Tony Pulis in the post match interview quipped that Scholes was the best player on the pitch by a country mile and the latest premier league statistics back that up revealing the astronomical passing percentage that Scholes has. Times ran an article stating how Scholes still remains the premier mid-field maestro in the league

Scholes remains top dog

Quote of the Day

"Is it unkind to point out that since Phil Neville got injured, Everton have scored 11 goals and conceded none?"

Added time, bedlam,Guardian strip themselves

There has been hue and cry about the added time given to Manchester United in their derby game. Manchester City have complained that they were robbed of a point. But let us just put the talk about added time aside. Complaining because your team had to play for a minute extra is all baloney to me. It is not as if one team is tied by the ropes and the other is asked to play. Both the teams are asked to play in the added time and both the teams have the chance to win the game. If one team loses, then they have only themselves to blame, not the clock.

This was exactly what happened in the derby game. Both the teams played for 5 minutes and 27 seconds going into injury time. During this time, both the teams had the chance to win the game; in City’s case, they had the chance to see out the game but instead kept giving the ball away to United and they were made to pay.

Manchester City’s and some of the media outlets’ complaints look even more ridiculous when you actually break down the time and see that the referee infact played only a second extra. Bellamy’s celebrations in added time took 56 seconds and 30 seconds are added for every substitution. So, that adds up to 5 mins 26 secs into extra time and Owen scored when the clock ticked 5mins 27 secs in added time. United complained about the time wasting tactics employed by Given in the added time and there is a possibility that the referee noted down that as well. So, all in all, City don’t have a case to complain against the added time.

Guardian ran a post to highlight the liberty given to United in added time in their home games. What Guardian fails to mention in their so called ‘revealing post’ is the reason for the additional time in the actual time added by the fourth official. It is really shameful that people working for a national newspaper aren’t aware of the rules themselves. The added time declared by the fourth official is the minimum time that would be played additional to the normal time. Guardian complained that in the last three years United have got 1.9 seconds additional in the added time when they were either losing or drawing. How silly of Guardian to come up with such a myopic point of view? Most of the teams coming to Old Trafford celebrate if they can take a point from the game, let alone winning it and in such circumstances it is only natural for the opposing teams to waste some time which go down in the referee’s watch as time to be added. Sports fans like to absorb as much as they can from the gazettes but it would do good if the papers can avoid printing such garbage.

Derby Delight for United

Goals and Highlights of Manchester Derby

It was not just a game of three points, it was not just any other derby game between the Manchester teams, this was a game to show intent, to gain an upper hand, bragging rights in Manchester. For all the hype created prior to the fixture, it did not disappoint one bit, did it?There were heated pre-match exchanges between both the camps, one trying to dismiss another, the other trying to stand up to be counted. Whilst Sir Alex called City ‘noisy neighbours’, Mark Hughes warned Sir Alex that he would help City knock United off their perch.

United started brightly, opened the scoring within the first two minutes. Evra caught City’s defense unaware and Rooney showed his strength to brush of two challenges to slot home his sixth goal of the season. After that, it was all about United and really looked up for it until a Ben Foster howler which allowed City to get back in the game. Foster has the talent to challenge for United’s and England’s No.1 jersey but he isn’t doing himself any favours by committing such school boy errors. He has the tendency to make a howler for every three good saves. City were gifted a goal and their three man mid-field started to get a hold of the mid-field. De-Jong and Barry were able to influence the flow of the game from there on in the first half. Chances were fluffed at both ends and the easiest undoubtedly fell to Tevez. He had a full view of the goal but could not find the target as he hit the post. That was a moment that vindicated Sir Alex’s decision to let him go, for all the terrier like attributes that he possess, he lacks real quality in front of the goal to demand such high fees and wages.

United started the second half as they did in the first, scored through a Darren Fletcher header. But United’s lax defending once more allowed City back into the game. To Bellamy’s credit, it was a screamer but a shot which should have been blocked in the first place. Bellamy is a right-footed player and O’shea should have closed him down and allowed him to run down the left. United got right back at City and the introduction of Valencia brought more directness to their play. Valencia pinned back Bridge and this stretched Man City’s mid-field as Ireland and De-Jong had to venture on the wide positions. Evra and Giggs, who was outstanding, created havoc on the left side. United played through the middle in the first half and were over run by City’s mid-field. Giggs started to hug the touch line in the second half and that stretched City which inturn allowed Fletcher and Anderson to boss the mid-field. Giggs bombarded City’s defense with cross after cross and United should have wraped up the match but for Given’s saves from Berbatov. Fletcher found the net again thanks to a pin-point cross from Giggs. That should have sealed all the three points for United. Rio Ferdinand, this time, made the howler which were associated with his West-Ham days and presented Bellamy with a chance to equalize. City were delighted with the equalizer and decided to settle for a point, they kept hoofing the ball into United’s half. Inexperience and cowardice cost them. Giggs brilliantly found Owen at the edge of the box in injury time and Owen duly obliged coming up with a wonderful finish in a nervy situation. He was bought to finish off matches under such situations and that is any player’s true worth not the transfer fee that they demand.

As Sir Alex described, it definitely was the best derby ever and one to savour for the United fans.

Owen stole the headlines but the stars of the day were undoubtedly Fletcher and Giggs. Giggs was by far the best player on the pitch that day. He rolled back the years and delighted the fans with his mazy runs. He skinned Richards, fourteen years junior to Giggs, time and again. If Giggs continues the season the way he started it, one wonders if he might win the player of the year award again this year.