True but these guys come year after year to the Eastern Asian countries... India maybe gets 1 a year if lucky.
Back onto the ISL... I don't know why but I might be changing my stance to "this will fail 100%" to "I'm on the fence on this."
Every time I say the league will do well or we complain of lack of activity, something magically happens like Atletico de Kolkata or Delhi Dynamos. Then you have the signings of some pretty decent foreigners who are not marquees who will be able to play well with Indians as well as some decent coaches. Also the marquees are not bad. I thought it would be Andy Cole or Dwight Yorke, both 42 year olds who have been out of the game for six and five years respectively but guys like Luis Garcia, a 36 year old who just came out of Liga MX in Mexico, and Mikel Silvestre, also a 36-year old who just played for the Portland Timbers in MLS, makes me feel very happy.
I don't know, this league is slowly starting to grow on me. I still hate how this is a money gaining tournament for Bollywood stars and all that but @Ashlesh may be right, this may actually be what we need.
My hope is that one day the ISL does form into a full-season type league with youth academies at every team. Perhaps eventually Bengaluru FC can join this league. The only problem will be East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.
I don't think the Goan people will mind losing their I-League clubs for an ISL Goan team. Pune FC will not be missed, as would Mumbai FC. Shillong will eventually probably get their own team in ISL so the Shillong teams will not be missed... just East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. If Atletico de Kolkata really does take off then it might not matter but if not then there might be some problems.
Salgaocar representative's met with Man City in a bid to set up a tie-up a few months back...Man City declined the offer..they already have some other plans for India..
Also, if they do go full-season, I hope the organizers do tell all owners that eventually there will be promotion/relegation... maybe in 10-20 years but it will happen. India is to big to not have pro/rel. Of course you could go the American way of like 30 teams but whatever.
@Gaffertape Any reason why? I know City Football Group are pretty much set up to change all their clubs to match Manchester City. I don't think Goa City FC, Margao City FC were going to happen anytime soon.
Makes sense. Manchester, Melbourne, New York City, Yokohama, Abu Dhabi (Mansour owns a team there)... Goa has nothing on them.
That is why I am surprised they did not go for a chance to own 100% and brand 100% a team in Mumbai, Delhi etc. This seems like the prime place for City... although I am sure there is a reason for them not doing it.
Comments
http://www.feverpitch.in/news.php?newsid=3199&news=Hero-Likely-To-Be-Title-Sponsor-of-ISL