Guwahati, Jan. 23: A multi-crore rupee sporting facility is about to be knocked off the Fifa map because non-sporting activity at the venue has made it unfit for the honours.
1) Again, another person who thinks that Indian football support is only in Kolkata and Goa... the north-east has produced constant crowds for even local matches that are bigger than Kolkata and Goa. Not a criticism of the entire work but just a thing to keep in mind.
2) Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh as markets? Have we even heard of football much in Ahmedabad? Mumbai... do they even have a stadium suitable for an IPL tournament?
Now then. Let me just get out of the way. The points he makes overall are good and honestly I have been thinking about this in my spare time. Taking into account what @gaffertape and @Rudra have said. Honestly the idea of a franchise league in India is not bad. Obviously franchise sports leagues is the way India is heading, in opposite to what England is doing.
Its a good idea and an idea that should have appealed to me considering I come from a country with all franchise leagues. My problem though is the way its would be ran. You can give me all this information about how great the IPL is or the recent HIL is but please remember that football is not hockey or cricket. It's football. Football is not a sport in which you can have a domestic league for 6 months and then a 2 month publicity league. It just wont work and will create massive confusion.
The only way I would have agreed to this league is if IMG stopped for a second and looked closely at what they are doing. If you are going to start a franchise football league (FOOTBALL) then instead of looking at fully the IPL also look at the successful franchise football leagues already around like MLS. Start this IPL-Football league but have it longer than 2 months.
That is not pan-India but at least it is a start. You need to start somewhere and these markets are either proven to already work (Kolkata, Goa, Kolhapur, Kerala, Shillong) or have ready infrastructure (Delhi and Ranchi). As the league progresses we could add more markets like Bangalore, Aizawl, Punjab, Pune, Chennai etc but at this moment these markets either are not ready football markets or dont have the ready infrastructure.
As for format, I would like IMG to make this a 6-month event with a 4-game play-offs at the end. Its exciting and India loves these kinds of things. Have each team play each other twice (14 games) and then split them based on region. Goa, Kolhapur, Kerala, Delhi for one group and Kolkata (2), Shillong, and Ranchi for the other. Have each team play the teams in their groups twice (6 more games = 20 in total) and then 2 more against 2 teams in the other group (call it "inter-conference play"). Then after the 22 games have the top 4 teams move into the play-offs. 1st plays 4th. 2nd plays 3rd. Winners play each other for the championship.
Its simple and its exciting. Also what I want IMG to take into consideration is better icons. Guys like Jay-Jay wont make the league successful. We need top players. Not super-stars but guys who still at least play.
Guys like John Carrew or Gianluca Zambrotta would love to come to India.
As for its influence on Indian football. This IMG-League should either go over the I-League or not happen at all. Simple as that. They can not co-exist. And I would be happy if this was to happen and we made this as the first tier of Indian football.
Oh, and salary caps and roster rules would actually be nice. And a good TV contract.
Comments
Club woes of Sunil,Subrata and Nabi a concern for Indian national team
http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/01/22/club-woes-of-sunil-subrata-and-nabi-a-concern-for-indian-national-team/
Why do you want to post the news twice ? Need more posts kya ?? :P
Bangladeshi club Muktijoddha and Pune FC have given their confirmation to perticipate in IFA Shild 2012 which will be held in March.
http://feverpitch.in/SiteWeb/Newsdesc.aspx?SID=69EBC96A-27DA-4F36-87A6-D93414BAED04
‘AIFF lacks transparency while suspending players’
http://www.navhindtimes.in/sports/aiff-lacks-transparency-while-suspending-players
I-League comment: Indian coaches ruling the roost
http://www.goal.com/en-india/news/1064/i-league/2013/01/23/3692942/i-league-comment-indian-coaches-ruling-the-roost
Guwahati faces knockout from Fifa map
AIFF President Mr. Praful Patel with FIFA President Mr. Joseph Bllater at Zurich.
https://fbcdn-photos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/19290_262617010535460_1213538510_n.jpg
Will an IPL style tournament be of help to Indian football?
http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/01/25/will-an-ipl-style-football-league-help-indian-football/
Points from that article: