With the ISL and I-League, we struggle between the old and the new: Praful Patel

The AIFF president says a solution must be found so that it is a happy marriage between the two

July 29, 2019 10:41 pm | Updated July 30, 2019 01:48 am IST - New Delhi

Speaking out: Praful Patel is happy that the foundation for a strong footballing culture has been laid.

Speaking out: Praful Patel is happy that the foundation for a strong footballing culture has been laid.

All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel is in an unenviable position as he tries to douse the flames of discontent that threatens to engulf Indian football. He, however, wants the conversation to move away from the usual debate of club structure to something more meaningful. “The debate is going in the wrong direction; the focus should be on grassroots. My satisfaction comes from that,” Patel told the Sportstar. Excerpts.

You took over the AIFF reins in 2008 and your innings comes to an end soon. How has been the journey?

It has been exciting but at times turbulent. Football in India went through a bad phase and to recover from that was not easy. One good thing that has happened is we have been able to lay the foundation for a strong footballing culture and the genesis of a strong footballing nation.

What are the plans for grassroots development?

We had Robb Bann, a very seasoned technical director who gave us the Vision 2020 document, a master-plan which didn’t exist before. We did well to implement most of it, the World Cup u-17 was part of it. We have now established baby leagues and many age-group tournaments which will pay dividends in the future.

Click here to read the full Praful Patel's interview

World-over the sport is developed by clubs. Don’t ISL and I-League clubs need to do more to promote grassroots football?

Clubs are participating and building teams at every level with baby leagues and other tournaments. We are spreading the role of development from the federation to the clubs. We must give the clubs some leeway as we can’t expect them to do everything at one go. They are doing a lot of work.

How do you think five seasons of ISL has helped Indian football?

I would say many things are there. People look at the visible; suddenly you see a tournament and there’s excitement. But ISL is not the ultimate of Indian football. My biggest satisfaction has been to bring the sport to a young generation.

That will be always important, you have a national team and a good coach who will mould it. You cannot shape a 25-year-old fully, but if you start with a 12 or 13-year-old, he/she can be moulded more effectively and that will be more sustaining.

The ISL’s clubs, despite all the investment, have failed to create a strong fan-base compared to traditional clubs?

If Bengaluru FC can do it, why can’t others. Study what they are doing. The primary difference is among fans — traditional fans support traditional clubs, but that’s a myopic view. Why do people suddenly follow Barcelona, Real Madrid or Manchester United. Because they have such large investments and can reach out to more people.

FIFA’s motto today is football must be financially viable. There is amateur and professional football and we are somewhere in between. With the ISL and I-League, we struggle between the old and the new.

Will the AFC agree to ISL and I-League coexisting for the next three seasons? They had asked the federation to merge them by 2019-20.

The ISL has a certain financial structure and the I-League a different one. You are talking about integrating it, but how will you integrate a club which is spending ₹2 crore a year with one which is spending ₹40 crore.

A solution must be found which is a happy marriage between the two. Otherwise, the club with ₹2-crore investment won’t do well and will run out of steam.

Is it against the AIFF constitution to have officials from its commercial partner in Standing Committees?

Even in AFC and other boards there are many people who come and attend. They don’t dictate Indian football. Everything cannot be made into an issue; if we want to get the best out of IMG-R, we need to get them involved. They have a mandate to support Indian football for a number of years aand we have to work with them to get the best.

What do you think should be the ideal long-term solution?

The ideal long-term solution will be one league with promotion and relegation. No FIFA or AFC will allow us a closed league. So, there’s no need to worry for these I-League clubs.

Can we expect some tough decisions from the AIFF then?

It’s a tough decision to say that I will speak to AFC and IMG-R. I haven’t spoken to them yet. But, since they (six I-League clubs) have summarily dismissed my viewpoints, why should I discuss?

Both the Indian coach and the captain have recently said that players need to play more matches. What can be done to achieve this?

Their opinion is fair enough. Those are issues that can be looked into. We are reviving the Durand Cup and Western India Football Association is reviving Rovers. So players can have more games. I want them to benefit as we need a solid pool for the coach to choose from. Only then will the national team gain.

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