What's in it for Indian Clubs to invest huge sum of money in Football with no return of investment. There's no money from TV Rights, no huge deals from sponsors. ISL Clubs are saying that they are losing money in crores. So, why do they invest if there is no money to be made? Same for I-League clubs. Why did Dempos and Salgaocars invest in their clubs for so long before scaling down. Is it just for spending CSR budget or there is some more sinister reason?
RIP Samar Banerjee, footballer & sportsperson par excellence
Former India Football Captain Samar Banerjee passed away today at Kolkata hospital. He was 92.
He was popularly known as Badru, Banerjee was part of the Indian team for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, where India finished fourth. Banerjee had also played for Mohun Bagan between 1952 and 1959. He also guided the Bengal team to Santosh Trophy titles.
Samar Banerjee was suffering from multiple health issues which included Alzheimer’s, high blood pressure and azotemia. He was admitted to the hospital last month due to COVID-19 and remained critical. Over the last few days, his health condition worsened.
The former Indian captain took his last breath at SSKM Hospital in Kolkata on August 20
What's in it for Indian Clubs to invest huge sum of money in Football with no return of investment. There's no money from TV Rights, no huge deals from sponsors. ISL Clubs are saying that they are losing money in crores. So, why do they invest if there is no money to be made? Same for I-League clubs. Why did Dempos and Salgaocars invest in their clubs for so long before scaling down. Is it just for spending CSR budget or there is some more sinister reason?
few may do it for the love for the game. not isl clubs though.
What's in it for Indian Clubs to invest huge sum of money in Football with no return of investment. There's no money from TV Rights, no huge deals from sponsors. ISL Clubs are saying that they are losing money in crores. So, why do they invest if there is no money to be made? Same for I-League clubs. Why did Dempos and Salgaocars invest in their clubs for so long before scaling down. Is it just for spending CSR budget or there is some more sinister reason?
I mean ISL started with Reliance pumping money for laundering by having fake owners. It took them time to get organic owners. I still feel clubs like HFC and NEUFC have support from Reliance. Something weird about an ex-CEO of a ISL club had generated enough money to operate a franchise. Even though there is external investors. It could be used to wash some money for tax purposes. Legitimate losses means tax exemptions. Taxes are applicable if there is a capital gains just like stock market. I think there is more to this than what we all think.
‘Passion for the game is now denigrating into abusive behaviour’
When he posted a voice clip highly critical of a player belonging to a major English Premier League football club, of which he remains a loyal fan, during an impassioned debate in a private football-based WhatsApp group recently, K.K. Shajeendran, a football analyst, had no clue that it would evoke such abusive backlash in the hours since then.
No sooner than someone leaked the voice clip and shared it in other WhatsApp groups of football fans had he started receiving abusive and threatening messages even against his family, mostly from people claiming to be fans of the player he criticised. As the number of such abusive messages entered into double digits, a rattled Mr. Shajeendran lodged a complaint with the Palarivattom police.
Since then, the police have tracked down a few of those numbers, including from abroad. While some have been personally summoned, others have been given a stern warning over the phone.
“Passion for the game is now denigrating into abusive behaviour. Also, modern football fans seem to be more fanatic followers of individual players rather than old school fans who supported a club or team. The players they worship are beyond criticism, and the ones who dare do it are singled out for abusive and hateful treatment. I had to quit multiple football forums after finding the fandom toxic,” said Mr. Shajeendran who runs a football analysis show on YouTube.
Charles Raj, vice president of the Kochi-based Hermanos FC Foundation, observed that hooliganism associated with football fans in Europe seemed to have crept into the fan following here as well. “Any difference of opinion often fast descends into abusive comments regardless of the player or club. Forget about rival fans locking horns, there are instances of fans of the same club going for each other. Such abusive behaviour is not restricted to football alone, but seems the norm in most social media interactions,” he said.
Akash Kesavan, chairman of Manchester United Supporters Club Kerala, said voice clips leaking from private social media groups and the abusive response are nothing new. “Some consider such abusive behaviour as proof of being hardcore fans, while anything devoid of respect for others can hardly be treated as fandom. We have made it a point to delete unacceptable comments and block the ones who post them from our official social media handles,” he said.
Yadu Krishna, president of Penya Del Barca Kozhikode-Kerala, the official supporters club of FC Barcelona, said animosity need not be the norm among rival fans citing how they got along quite well with the supporters of arch rivals Real Madrid. “Football is a game of aggression, and it breeds an intensity among its followers. But despite being fierce rivals in matters related to the game, there are good friendships beyond that. Some social media groups even organise sporting events and quiz contests to forge camaraderie cutting across club affiliations,” he said.
Comments
What's in it for Indian Clubs to invest huge sum of money in Football with no return of investment. There's no money from TV Rights, no huge deals from sponsors. ISL Clubs are saying that they are losing money in crores. So, why do they invest if there is no money to be made? Same for I-League clubs. Why did Dempos and Salgaocars invest in their clubs for so long before scaling down. Is it just for spending CSR budget or there is some more sinister reason?
RIP Samar Banerjee, footballer & sportsperson par excellence
Former India Football Captain Samar Banerjee passed away today at Kolkata hospital. He was 92.
He was popularly known as Badru, Banerjee was part of the Indian team for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, where India finished fourth. Banerjee had also played for Mohun Bagan between 1952 and 1959. He also guided the Bengal team to Santosh Trophy titles.
Samar Banerjee was suffering from multiple health issues which included Alzheimer’s, high blood pressure and azotemia. He was admitted to the hospital last month due to COVID-19 and remained critical. Over the last few days, his health condition worsened.
The former Indian captain took his last breath at SSKM Hospital in Kolkata on August 20
https://www.thestatesman.com/bengal/rip-samar-banerjee-footballer-1503102085.html
National Games returns, after seven years: Six Gujarat cities to host event
The 2022 National Games of India will be held in Gujarat from September 27 to October 10 2022.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_National_Games_of_Indiahttps://sportstar.thehindu.com/other-sports/national-games-2022-in-gujarat-from-september-27-to-october-10/article65801183.ece
This probably deserves a separate thread.
When football fandom turns toxic
‘Passion for the game is now denigrating into abusive behaviour’
When he posted a voice clip highly critical of a player belonging to a major English Premier League football club, of which he remains a loyal fan, during an impassioned debate in a private football-based WhatsApp group recently, K.K. Shajeendran, a football analyst, had no clue that it would evoke such abusive backlash in the hours since then.
No sooner than someone leaked the voice clip and shared it in other WhatsApp groups of football fans had he started receiving abusive and threatening messages even against his family, mostly from people claiming to be fans of the player he criticised. As the number of such abusive messages entered into double digits, a rattled Mr. Shajeendran lodged a complaint with the Palarivattom police.
Since then, the police have tracked down a few of those numbers, including from abroad. While some have been personally summoned, others have been given a stern warning over the phone.
“Passion for the game is now denigrating into abusive behaviour. Also, modern football fans seem to be more fanatic followers of individual players rather than old school fans who supported a club or team. The players they worship are beyond criticism, and the ones who dare do it are singled out for abusive and hateful treatment. I had to quit multiple football forums after finding the fandom toxic,” said Mr. Shajeendran who runs a football analysis show on YouTube.
Charles Raj, vice president of the Kochi-based Hermanos FC Foundation, observed that hooliganism associated with football fans in Europe seemed to have crept into the fan following here as well. “Any difference of opinion often fast descends into abusive comments regardless of the player or club. Forget about rival fans locking horns, there are instances of fans of the same club going for each other. Such abusive behaviour is not restricted to football alone, but seems the norm in most social media interactions,” he said.
Akash Kesavan, chairman of Manchester United Supporters Club Kerala, said voice clips leaking from private social media groups and the abusive response are nothing new. “Some consider such abusive behaviour as proof of being hardcore fans, while anything devoid of respect for others can hardly be treated as fandom. We have made it a point to delete unacceptable comments and block the ones who post them from our official social media handles,” he said.
Yadu Krishna, president of Penya Del Barca Kozhikode-Kerala, the official supporters club of FC Barcelona, said animosity need not be the norm among rival fans citing how they got along quite well with the supporters of arch rivals Real Madrid. “Football is a game of aggression, and it breeds an intensity among its followers. But despite being fierce rivals in matters related to the game, there are good friendships beyond that. Some social media groups even organise sporting events and quiz contests to forge camaraderie cutting across club affiliations,” he said.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/when-football-fandom-turns-toxic/article65809389.ece
Glasnost! Perestroika!
The Fall of the Berlin Wall! The Collapse of the Soviet Union! The end of the Cold War!
Those heady times--late 1980s and early 1990s!!