ISL Clubs have the money and resources to pass any criteria they want. Just show it to them and they'll be ready by the time of merger. It's a non issue really.
Our only worry should be whether to reduce the foreigners and if so by how many and without a significant reduction in quality.
@atuljg Non issue??? That is the main issue. Merger cannot happen and thats what PP mentioned in that goal.com article. PP said that it is ISL who has to merge in I-league and this may or may not happen. Clearly IMG-R has refused for that. The profit model in ISL is owning all the clubs as well as running the league themselves. 1) FIFA rules clearly say that no private body which is not elected under FIFA can run the league. Here in ISL, it is private body IMG-R running the masala league. 2)To ensure the integrity, noone can own more then one clubs. In ISL, Almost all clubs are owned by one family only. 3) ISL is run as CSR initiative under IMG-R and it is possible only when they run the league, deal directly with Star TV and generate invoices for tax deductions. Here they are the masters without any guidelines. In ISL, they can show hundreds of crores of rupees of invoices as expenditure-Travel, player salary, Stadium. That freedom is gone once they play in merged league. All this is not possible for them in combined league under FIFA eyes as it will not serve their profit motive. Thats why they do not clear any guidelines by AFC or FIFA. 4) Can anyone show their Audit or ownership documents and club licensing certification? That does not exist at all. 5)There is no existence of clubs. Its only a league-One product. Clubs are not independent.
@goalkeepar ; Atleast he can convince his Family members (in-laws who own the league and cousin who owns rival team) to agree that there was fixing. They can issue joint statement condemning fixing and catch the culprits. So far we have not seen any statement from Family members. If his family do not agree, how will other people believe? AIFF has no authority to fine or ban any ISL franchise. Only his family members who own the league.
1. the criteria states that you yourself can't own directly or indirectly any other clubs, shares of other clubs, majority voting rights in other clubs management. No where it is mentioned that if you own a club , your distantly related brother or your in law can't own a club. As Football clubs are two registered company , any two different individual can own them. I can't find anything which will be hindrance for AFC criteria.
2. AIFF is also a partner in the league. They own the league with certain percentage. IMG as a marketing partner are part of the league , so is star sports.
3. Real problem may be the Financial criteria. As many of IFN veterans are suspecting the use of black money in ISL, it could be a problem. Anyway the Financial criteria is not that tough to meet. You just have to possess audited account, have to submit budgeted details to aiff, no payable overdue towards employees, no tax due, regular reports in prescribed format about management of account. As the clubs are registered company they should audit their account. If they fail to do so it is the responsibility of central agency ( like sebi , ed, cag or whosoever is concerned ) to act first rather than aiff.
4. We already have seen change of ownership in few franchise. If clubs were not independent then how it can happene ? how they can sell their share to another party?
5. Few financial reports of owner companies mentioned their investment in ISL in their official annual financial report. I will attach the link if I find one.
Afc criteria is a child's play for ISL clubs and IMG-R. The people that own these clubs deal with a lot more complex rules and criteria with respect to dealings in the corporate world.
It's not at all an issue for them, maybe it is for the poor Northeast clubs whose owners are not accustomed to doing real business.
I just want to comment on PP's comment about how the ISL has to merge with I-League. PP has more at stake with the I-League as the AIFF directly organize it so he has an obligation to make the stakeholders happy. He won't piss them off by saying you have to come into ISL and make things more complicated. It is easier to say they have to merge with I-League.
Think rationally, you really think they would merge into the I-League or that it is impossible to change what is the main league?
Fully agree with Rohan here.....PP is obliged to run a rival product to the family business, though Aiff makes it amply clear that it is doing so halfheartedly.....this will have to go on till the family decides that they are ready to play by the rules and take the responsibility of running national league....
From what I could decide of from PP's statement this is sometime in future if at all...certainly 2017 in NOT GONNA be the year when India adopts a sensible domestic calendar....
I would hazard a guess to say that in 2017...we may see truncated version if 2 leagues ot Aiff may invocate Force Majure and have a fed cup based on which we send teams to Asia.
Abhik Chatterjee, the media and content manager of @NEUtdFC stated his opinions to counter some of the queries that deluded naysayers and self-proclaimed "Indian football enthusiasts" levy on a two year old league.
a) The league is all about making money : Just listen to yourselves and logically think this through. Of course it will be. Anyone who invests crores will not have only charity on their mind. They would want a for-profit and beneficial business venture that benefits both them and football. Are you telling me that the great clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona etc are based on values of "the betterment of English/Spanish football"? Absolute bollocks!!! Money is an expendable virtue. If it is a profitable venture, the owners will naturally invest more, which will result in better infrastructure for the players involved. Everything will be a cascading effect. Do not blindly follow the herd and comment about money. The IPL is a classic example. A profit making machine that has helped India find super talented cricketers. Who in the world has come up with a moral code saying that Sport cannot be a profitable business venture?
b) If it is about Indian Football why are there 6 foreigners/ older players playing : Firstly, understand this. The ISL is broadcasted with excellent standards. To capture a television audience that is used to a much higher level of football in the form of the Premier League/La Liga/Bundesliga etc, you need to make sure that the standard of the game is slightly better than what the I-League serves up. You need to make the games palatable for the audience. This is why you need foreign players to add the quality and educate the youngsters and the Indian boys on how to take better on the ball decisions. You need big names to get eyes glued to the television. Otherwise, the I-League was enough and lets face it, the standard of play in the I-league is NOT GOOD TELEVISION for fans who watch rather than play. You need to also get bums on seats and the same logic applies. Of course with time as the quality of play improves, the number of foreigners should be logically scaled down.
c) We need one league : I agree one hundred percent. But it is not as easy as it sounds. A 3 month league will need to be lengthened and I am optimistic that the decision makers who have put the league together are understanding it's importance. Having spoken to several of the International players, even they agree. And it is on the cards, that's all I can say. Be patient, it will come about and the results will be stunning.
d) National Camps .... Players getting released : Two years back we were howling for a revolution in Indian football. Now that we have one, there is nitpicking aplenty. It will not be easy, but the night is darkest before the dawn. How can you expect a two year old league to function like a well oiled engine, churn out future superstars and jump us up the rankings into thetop hundreds. Give it 5 years. There are enough concerned stake-holders who will right the wrongs and smoothen it out. If we have waited so long, no harm in possessing a bit more patience..
e) How is it helping Indian Football? - Three points (i) It is introducing a football culture in the country. How heartening it is to see youngsters donning jerseys of ISL clubs when all we have seen for years are Man Utd, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Barcelona (etc) jerseys being donned. We are seeing fans forming supporters clubs. We are seeing them organize screenings. We are seeing decent turnouts in stadiums. It is so important in this context as football in this country will never succeed without fans. It is pivotal to get the fans on your side. People are now interested in knowing which I-League clubs the Indian players are going to...they are tuning in to watch the National Team play. Awareness about football is the highest it has ever been in the last few decades. It is an excellent start. (ii) It is making football a viable career option for kids and making Indian footballers household names. Indian players are paid quite handsomely in the ISL and this is inspiring a lot of youngsters to think of football as a full time career. With the ISL occupying so much media coverage, parents are aware about the opportunities as well. It is opening up employment for football enthusiasts in theformer of writers/bloggers/commentators/support staff/agents etc. These are things that people fail to notice (iii) People forget the amount of money and efforts invested by Reliance in the grassroots program. 24 top kids are having their education sponsored and are being exposed to top class coaching. They will leave eat and learn together for 5-6 years. Watch out for this batch of 24...and let's not forget, there will be batches of 24 coming in every year. We will have a quality influx into the national teams.
f) It is gimmicky : People said the same thing about the IPL and look at the amount of talent it has given Indian cricket. No one was complaining when India won the World Cup as a result of several cricketers who were discovered due to their performances in the IPL. In a country where cricket rules you need help from every corner possible if you want to popularise football. Whether it is getting celebrities or cricketers to own teams or jazzing it up and adding spice to it....it is all valid for one main reason. You need eyeballs and you need people to turn up.I do not declare that the ISL is flawless. It has it's fair quota of problems. It's scheduling, length and nitty gritties need to be addressed going forward. Better administrators will add value to Indian Football and that I feel is an issue that will be resolved now that the ISL attracts talent in the administration department aswell. But what I say is this : Give it time. Do not be quick to bash it. Offer constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement. Back it and want it to succeed rather than wishing for failure. Let's admit it...it's the biggest splash Indian football has seen. Let us all contribute to it's evolution and be optimists.
@goalkeepar If FC Goa owners have balls or any self respect, let them pull out of next ISL. Else its just a poor attempt to get some el cheapo publicity.
Comments
Our only worry should be whether to reduce the foreigners and if so by how many and without a significant reduction in quality.
1) FIFA rules clearly say that no private body which is not elected under FIFA can run the league. Here in ISL, it is private body IMG-R running the masala league.
2)To ensure the integrity, noone can own more then one clubs. In ISL, Almost all clubs are owned by one family only.
3) ISL is run as CSR initiative under IMG-R and it is possible only when they run the league, deal directly with Star TV and generate invoices for tax deductions. Here they are the masters without any guidelines. In ISL, they can show hundreds of crores of rupees of invoices as expenditure-Travel, player salary, Stadium. That freedom is gone once they play in merged league.
All this is not possible for them in combined league under FIFA eyes as it will not serve their profit motive. Thats why they do not clear any guidelines by AFC or FIFA.
4) Can anyone show their Audit or ownership documents and club licensing certification? That does not exist at all.
5)There is no existence of clubs. Its only a league-One product. Clubs are not independent.
AIFF has no authority to fine or ban any ISL franchise. Only his family members who own the league.
It's not at all an issue for them, maybe it is for the poor Northeast clubs whose owners are not accustomed to doing real business.
Think rationally, you really think they would merge into the I-League or that it is impossible to change what is the main league?
a) The league is all about making money : Just listen to yourselves and logically think this through. Of course it will be. Anyone who invests crores will not have only charity on their mind. They would want a for-profit and beneficial business venture that benefits both them and football. Are you telling me that the great clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona etc are based on values of "the betterment of English/Spanish football"? Absolute bollocks!!! Money is an expendable virtue. If it is a profitable venture, the owners will naturally invest more, which will result in better infrastructure for the players involved. Everything will be a cascading effect. Do not blindly follow the herd and comment about money. The IPL is a classic example. A profit making machine that has helped India find super talented cricketers. Who in the world has come up with a moral code saying that Sport cannot be a profitable business venture?
b) If it is about Indian Football why are there 6 foreigners/ older players playing : Firstly, understand this. The ISL is broadcasted with excellent standards. To capture a television audience that is used to a much higher level of football in the form of the Premier League/La Liga/Bundesliga etc, you need to make sure that the standard of the game is slightly better than what the I-League serves up. You need to make the games palatable for the audience. This is why you need foreign players to add the quality and educate the youngsters and the Indian boys on how to take better on the ball decisions. You need big names to get eyes glued to the television. Otherwise, the I-League was enough and lets face it, the standard of play in the I-league is NOT GOOD TELEVISION for fans who watch rather than play. You need to also get bums on seats and the same logic applies. Of course with time as the quality of play improves, the number of foreigners should be logically scaled down.
c) We need one league : I agree one hundred percent. But it is not as easy as it sounds. A 3 month league will need to be lengthened and I am optimistic that the decision makers who have put the league together are understanding it's importance. Having spoken to several of the International players, even they agree. And it is on the cards, that's all I can say. Be patient, it will come about and the results will be stunning.
d) National Camps .... Players getting released : Two years back we were howling for a revolution in Indian football. Now that we have one, there is nitpicking aplenty. It will not be easy, but the night is darkest before the dawn. How can you expect a two year old league to function like a well oiled engine, churn out future superstars and jump us up the rankings into thetop hundreds. Give it 5 years. There are enough concerned stake-holders who will right the wrongs and smoothen it out. If we have waited so long, no harm in possessing a bit more patience..
e) How is it helping Indian Football? - Three points
(i) It is introducing a football culture in the country. How heartening it is to see youngsters donning jerseys of ISL clubs when all we have seen for years are Man Utd, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Barcelona (etc) jerseys being donned. We are seeing fans forming supporters clubs. We are seeing them organize screenings. We are seeing decent turnouts in stadiums. It is so important in this context as football in this country will never succeed without fans. It is pivotal to get the fans on your side. People are now interested in knowing which I-League clubs the Indian players are going to...they are tuning in to watch the National Team play. Awareness about football is the highest it has ever been in the last few decades. It is an excellent start.
(ii) It is making football a viable career option for kids and making Indian footballers household names. Indian players are paid quite handsomely in the ISL and this is inspiring a lot of youngsters to think of football as a full time career. With the ISL occupying so much media coverage, parents are aware about the opportunities as well. It is opening up employment for football enthusiasts in theformer of writers/bloggers/commentators/support staff/agents etc. These are things that people fail to notice
(iii) People forget the amount of money and efforts invested by Reliance in the grassroots program. 24 top kids are having their education sponsored and are being exposed to top class coaching. They will leave eat and learn together for 5-6 years. Watch out for this batch of 24...and let's not forget, there will be batches of 24 coming in every year. We will have a quality influx into the national teams.
f) It is gimmicky : People said the same thing about the IPL and look at the amount of talent it has given Indian cricket. No one was complaining when India won the World Cup as a result of several cricketers who were discovered due to their performances in the IPL. In a country where cricket rules you need help from every corner possible if you want to popularise football. Whether it is getting celebrities or cricketers to own teams or jazzing it up and adding spice to it....it is all valid for one main reason. You need eyeballs and you need people to turn up.I do not declare that the ISL is flawless. It has it's fair quota of problems. It's scheduling, length and nitty gritties need to be addressed going forward. Better administrators will add value to Indian Football and that I feel is an issue that will be resolved now that the ISL attracts talent in the administration department aswell. But what I say is this : Give it time. Do not be quick to bash it. Offer constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement. Back it and want it to succeed rather than wishing for failure. Let's admit it...it's the biggest splash Indian football has seen. Let us all contribute to it's evolution and be optimists.
Courtesy:ISL Trolls
@goalkeepar If FC Goa owners have balls or any self respect, let them pull out of next ISL. Else its just a poor attempt to get some el cheapo publicity.