@gaffertape<;div>The things you have mentioned, assuming that is how it is gonna be(or are they ur proposals?) make sense. The I-league clubs should benefit from the Quick-Fix League. But the point is, will the i-league stay relevant? As it is, we are struggling. to get people visit the matches. When we divide them into east-west zones, no Mohun Bagan, no East Bengal will play against the teams in west. It is a well known fact that a lot of people are attracted to d stadium due to presence of these teams.</div><div><br></div><div>Also, with the clubs profiting from the Super League, wouldnt their focus will shift from I-league which is a liability for them?</div>
<br><div><br></div><div>As for I-League staying relevant:</div><div>Does a Champions League kill off the Premier League ?</div><div>the hope is, as the I-League will be the breeding ground for the limited spots available for Auction players, it should make this short format much more competitive. </div><div>The new fans that the SUper League will bring to football, even if 1% of them attend an I-League match thats an improvement.</div><div>The Super League franchisee's might also have to meet certain criteria ,such as Floodlight installments , revamping dressing rooms (like they did at YBK ,salt lake ) and hopefully new STADIUM CONSTRUCTION, as this will help in the 2017 U-17 World Cup bid.</div><div><br></div><div>The East/West Zone wil still see the Kolkata derby take place , and the big guns, Dempo ,Pune or Salgaocar should face off against a Mohun Bagan , Prayag or East Bengal in the play-offs. This much needed 'hype' will get more fans into the stadiums, and if played on a home & away basis , could possibly even create traveling fans !! </div><div><br></div><div>I-Legaue champions should still be granted AFC entry , and as no I-League end of season clash with AFC competitions, and as the SUper League would be concluded, teams could have a better chance of doing well in AFC.</div><div><br></div><div>like i started saying before, its not perfect BUT its a start, and its better than the current system</div><div><br></div><div>Rohan and a few others won't agree , because its not like the J-League or MLS or A-LEague that they have been so vocal about, but IPL wasn't like the T20 in UK or others who had started before.</div><div>Indians need an Indian style product and for those of us on the ground we understand the reality of this.</div><div>You can restructure the I-league as much as you want, but still never get 10,000+ people in Fatorda stadium for a Dempo vs East Bengal I-League match or at Cooperage for a Mumbai FC vs Mohun Bagan !!</div>
<font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">Wow. First off we wont get AFC entry. We will probably get only 1 team in the AFC Cup but will that mean anything. That team representing use wont do well as well due to lack of matches. Shortening the league would mean maybe 14-18 matches a season. That wont be enough specially sense the AFC Cup would be technically off-season for the clubs so already your wrong when it comes to AFC Club Competition.</font><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Conferences wont help. We can still have play-offs like A-League has without conferences. The reason MLS has conferences (and the reason IMG and AIFF dont know) is because of CONCACAF Champions League spots. That is all. People say due to play-offs but the real reason has always been to decide international slots with a little for play-offs. Also we are trying to relate to the Indian crowd. Do they know the conference style. No they dont. You could use that against me for pro/rel but that is due to financial reasons. This does not involve lots of finances. I do agree play-offs would allow for more fan-fare but we dont need conferences.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br></div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">You mention the FIFA U17 World Cup bid building infrastructure. Why not in I-League too. Again for the 2012-13 season we will have 6-7 state venues. Goa, Kolkata, Sikkim, Shillong, Pune, Mumbai and maybe Delhi. Each stadium in these locations are bound to get renovations. Fatorda and Tilak in Goa will get redone. Salt Lake is slowly getting better and the U17 World Cup can help. Sikkim is also bound to get better soon due to Baichungs influence (not this year, but soon), Shillong will get a renovation for the U17 World Cup as they were listed as a possible venue. Mumbai is getting a renovation along with other Athletic facilities. Pune is already 100% set. Delhi is also 100% set. So I think we are set in this area to improve I-League. No need for some 2 month circus to "help" the situation.</font></div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">Also how does that Premier League to Champions League comparison viable. Big difference sense both leagues are very well marketed and also with the way things are going (FFP, Rich vs. Poor clubs, finances, rumors of a Super Euro League) maybe it is killing it off as with La Liga, Serie A, and Bundesliga. It already killed great leagues of the 1960s-1980s like Serbia etc.</font></div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">And finally... A FOOTBALL LEAGUE CAN NOT BE 2 MONTHS LONG! TWO MONTHS! Plus a 6 MONTH I-League.</font></div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">The US Soccer Development Academy League runs for 6-10 months. No wonder the US is ahead of Indian football. We are still in that age where we think that 2 month/6 month PROFESSIONAL leagues are acceptable. Well then, I feel sorry for Indian football if that is the direction they go.</font></div>
@gaffertape
<DIV>The things you have mentioned, assuming that is how it is gonna be(or are they ur proposals?) make sense. The I-league clubs should benefit from the Quick-Fix League. But the point is, will the i-league stay relevant? As it is, we are struggling. to get people visit the matches. started before.</DIV>
<DIV>Indians need an Indian style product and for those of us on the ground we understand the reality of this.</DIV>
<DIV>You can restructure the I-league as much as you want, but still never get 10,000+ people in Fatorda stadium for a Dempo vs East Bengal I-League match or at Cooperage for a Mumbai FC vs Mohun Bagan !!</DIV>
<P>
</P>
<P>@gaffertape ; all said and done, i still say do not pressurise the I-league clubs into this, convince the club that its a win -win for them and it will succeed..</P>
<P>What are I-league clubs intrested in ??, monetry benefit that they can use for their I-league teams+ their players not getting injured in IPL-ball + affirmation that the I-league will be improved on and not neglected.</P>
<P>Let AIFFconvince clubs that IPL-fball money will be used to invest in d I-league, that because of IPL -fball broadcasts the I-league will be popular. ..I know that IPL-fball is not the answer but it definatley has its benefits, how it can be harvested for d good of the I-league and d I-league clubs is what AIFF-IMG must show.</P>
<P> </P>
<font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">@Silicon3 thing you are missing is that the IPFCA still have demands that wont be made... AFC Champions League for example.</font><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Also the I-League wont get popular. People will watch the IPL shit then watch I-League for 1-2 weeks and realize "WTF! Where is Crespo! Where is Cannavaro" and shut off. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br></div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">We need to focus on I-League primarily. We need to work with the IPFCA head on and figure out how to improve the league structure and also how to gain new fans through media relations and through youth and community works. We need to stay on there page because at the end of the day, they are the teams responsible for our national team. They are responsible for trying to professionalize but the AIFF-IMG have to meet them half-way and work with them.</font></div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2"> How hard is it to understand.</font></div>
http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2565/exclusives/2012/07/31/3277171/india-is-really-close-to-my-heart-feyenoord-new-boy-harmeet?source=breakingnews<br><br><span id="divAdnetKeyword">"If India want me to play for them, then it
would be no problem for me to sit down with them and discuss it. There
has never been an approach, and I don't even know whether I could play
for them because I don't have an Indian passport. I have the life-long
visa, but not a passport. <br><br>"I'm really curious about the options,
though. I haven't closed the door on India. If they really want me,
then it's no problem for me to have a conversation with them to see what
they want and to get to know a bit more about Indian football."</span><br>
http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2565/exclusives/2012/07/31/3277171/india-is-really-close-to-my-heart-feyenoord-new-boy-harmeet?source=breakingnews<br><br><span id="divAdnetKeyword">"If India want me to play for them, then it
would be no problem for me to sit down with them and discuss it. There
has never been an approach, and I don't even know whether I could play
for them because I don't have an Indian passport. I have the life-long
visa, but not a passport. <br><br>"I'm really curious about the options,
though. I haven't closed the door on India. If they really want me,
then it's no problem for me to have a conversation with them to see what
they want and to get to know a bit more about Indian football."</span><br>
<h1 style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 28px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; color: rgb(90, 90, 90); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">The AIFF are headless chickens, blasts Churchill's Subhash Bhowmick</h1><div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">Over the years, Indian national team has seen a variable shuffle between foreign and Indian coaches, the latest being Dutch national Wim Koevermans taking over from Savio Medeira.</font></div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">Churchill Brothers' technical director Subhash Bhowmick however claims that he is not perplexed by the sight of foreign coaches entrusted with the responsibility to lead the Indian national team.</font></div></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br></div><div><b style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">Full Article: </b><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">http://www.goal.com/en-india/news/136/india/2012/07/31/3276192/the-aiff-are-headless-chickens-blasts-churchills-subhash</font></div>;
<H1 style="MARGIN: auto 0in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#800080>Indian Football Editorial – The Saga Of A Giant In Induced Sleep</FONT><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></H1>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif'">Over the course of last few decades, a hint of pessimism has gripped the imagination of Indian football fans . Will the Sleeping Giant ever be able to wake up? There are little indication for any sort of optimism. In our first edition of Indian Football Editorial column, TheHardTackle digs down to the root of the problem to find out how can India earn back its lost status quo as a powerhouse of the game.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<H2 style="MARGIN: 10pt 0in 0pt"><FONT size=4><FONT face=Cambria><SPAN style="COLOR: maroon">Incident 1</SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></H2>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">In the month of July 2012, a District Sports Association organized second division football league match was being held at the DSA Ground in one of the district headquarters of Assam in front of a paltry crowd, seating on the concrete slab of an open-roofed gallery, trying to save their faces under the scorching sun. Just after the quarter of an hour mark, the game had to be paused as the players were complaining about a leakage in the ball. </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">The referee asked the organizers for a replacement of the damaged ball. In came two gentlemen from the organizing committee – surprisingly not with a football in hand, but with a roll of adhesive bandage, generally used to tape human wounds, along with a scissor instead. With great craftsmanship – much to the amusement of a handful of spectators – they expertly managed to prevent the leakage by wrapping a strip of plaster over the surface of that damaged ball. Meanwhile, one of the players from substitutes’ bench rushed towards the nearest cycle repairing stop to borrow a bicycle pump in order to blow up the deflated ball and eventually the game resumed after a half-an-hour delay.</SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Ironically, the farce transpired at just a stone-throwing distance from the residence of an influential Assam Cabinet Minister – who, incidentally, till a couple of years ago was serving as the Sports and Youth Welfare Minister of the state.</SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Read the complete article here: </FONT><A href="http://www.thehardtackle.com/2012/indian-football-editorial-the-saga-of-a-giant-in-induced-sleep/"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#800080 size=3>http://www.thehardtackle.com/2012/indian-football-editorial-the-saga-of-a-giant-in-induced-sleep/</FONT></A><o:p></o:p></P>;
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
Comments
<br><div><br></div><div>If Arata Izumi gets citizenship then maybe he could be the top scorer for Indians.</div>
<br><div><br></div><div>As for I-League staying relevant:</div><div>Does a Champions League kill off the Premier League ?</div><div>the hope is, as the I-League will be the breeding ground for the limited spots available for Auction players, it should make this short format much more competitive. </div><div>The new fans that the SUper League will bring to football, even if 1% of them attend an I-League match thats an improvement.</div><div>The Super League franchisee's might also have to meet certain criteria ,such as Floodlight installments , revamping dressing rooms (like they did at YBK ,salt lake ) and hopefully new STADIUM CONSTRUCTION, as this will help in the 2017 U-17 World Cup bid.</div><div><br></div><div>The East/West Zone wil still see the Kolkata derby take place , and the big guns, Dempo ,Pune or Salgaocar should face off against a Mohun Bagan , Prayag or East Bengal in the play-offs. This much needed 'hype' will get more fans into the stadiums, and if played on a home & away basis , could possibly even create traveling fans !! </div><div><br></div><div>I-Legaue champions should still be granted AFC entry , and as no I-League end of season clash with AFC competitions, and as the SUper League would be concluded, teams could have a better chance of doing well in AFC.</div><div><br></div><div>like i started saying before, its not perfect BUT its a start, and its better than the current system</div><div><br></div><div>Rohan and a few others won't agree , because its not like the J-League or MLS or A-LEague that they have been so vocal about, but IPL wasn't like the T20 in UK or others who had started before.</div><div>Indians need an Indian style product and for those of us on the ground we understand the reality of this.</div><div>You can restructure the I-league as much as you want, but still never get 10,000+ people in Fatorda stadium for a Dempo vs East Bengal I-League match or at Cooperage for a Mumbai FC vs Mohun Bagan !!</div>
would be no problem for me to sit down with them and discuss it. There
has never been an approach, and I don't even know whether I could play
for them because I don't have an Indian passport. I have the life-long
visa, but not a passport. <br><br>"I'm really curious about the options,
though. I haven't closed the door on India. If they really want me,
then it's no problem for me to have a conversation with them to see what
they want and to get to know a bit more about Indian football."</span><br>
<br><br>no way he will play for india..<br>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif'">Over the course of last few decades, a hint of pessimism has gripped the imagination of Indian football fans . Will the Sleeping Giant ever be able to wake up? There are little indication for any sort of optimism. In our first edition of Indian Football Editorial column, TheHardTackle digs down to the root of the problem to find out how can India earn back its lost status quo as a powerhouse of the game.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<H2 style="MARGIN: 10pt 0in 0pt"><FONT size=4><FONT face=Cambria><SPAN style="COLOR: maroon">Incident 1</SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></H2>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">In the month of July 2012, a District Sports Association organized second division football league match was being held at the DSA Ground in one of the district headquarters of Assam in front of a paltry crowd, seating on the concrete slab of an open-roofed gallery, trying to save their faces under the scorching sun. Just after the quarter of an hour mark, the game had to be paused as the players were complaining about a leakage in the ball. </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">The referee asked the organizers for a replacement of the damaged ball. In came two gentlemen from the organizing committee – surprisingly not with a football in hand, but with a roll of adhesive bandage, generally used to tape human wounds, along with a scissor instead. With great craftsmanship – much to the amusement of a handful of spectators – they expertly managed to prevent the leakage by wrapping a strip of plaster over the surface of that damaged ball. Meanwhile, one of the players from substitutes’ bench rushed towards the nearest cycle repairing stop to borrow a bicycle pump in order to blow up the deflated ball and eventually the game resumed after a half-an-hour delay.</SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Ironically, the farce transpired at just a stone-throwing distance from the residence of an influential Assam Cabinet Minister – who, incidentally, till a couple of years ago was serving as the Sports and Youth Welfare Minister of the state.</SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Read the complete article here: </FONT><A href="http://www.thehardtackle.com/2012/indian-football-editorial-the-saga-of-a-giant-in-induced-sleep/"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#800080 size=3>http://www.thehardtackle.com/2012/indian-football-editorial-the-saga-of-a-giant-in-induced-sleep/</FONT></A><o:p></o:p></P>;
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #006600; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>