Indian football:
Two leagues become one
In 2017, on a visit to India for the FIFA Council and U-17 World Cup final, FIFA President Gianni Infantino declared that “India is a football country now”, suggesting it has shaken off its reputation as a ‘sleeping giant’ in the football world. The world’s second-most populous nation has an interesting relationship with the world’s most popular sport, with a largely untold history. With football currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity around the Subcontinent, it is only a matter of time until India begins to compete at higher levels, both in terms of its league and national team.
With India’s sport scene dominated by the nation’s love of cricket, one might assume that no sport can compete with its levels of passion and participation nationwide. However, spend a day in any of the big cities, and you will see an abundance of replica jerseys of the big European and international teams. Estimates suggest there are more Messi jerseys in Bangalore than in Barcelona, and more red United shirts in Mumbai than in Manchester, and this is indicative of India’s long-distance relationship with the global product that is top-flight football.
Despite being positive for the visibility and growth of the game as a broadcastable product, and bringing benefits for the big clubs as they continue their global expansion plans, what about the development of Indian football itself?
Origin story
“India may not have been very successful internationally in football, but the game is deep rooted here. It has a very strong culture, introduced by the British,” shared Novy Kapadia, Indian football expert and author of Barefoot to Boots, a comprehensive history of the game’s development. “Wherever they were, football sprang up and became popular.”
Football began as a sport played between army regiments and emerging local teams in key industrial cities. Tournaments and matches between the colonisers and the colonised began in the late 1800s, and the Durand Cup (India’s domestic knockout trophy) is the third-oldest football competition in the world (behind England and Scotland’s FA Cups).
The historic debut victory of Kolkata’s Mohun Bagan (one of India’s most celebrated teams) over the English armed forces team in 1911 was a turning point for the nation and its relationship with the game. This ended 40+ years of British teams winning Indian football tournaments and was a symbolic moment, paving the way for the independence movement.
Despite this proud and significant history, the growth of cricket far surpassed the symbolism and appeal of football. The success of the Indian national team (in particular a victory in the World Cup of 1983), was seen as a generation defining event, showing Indians that they could compete and win at the highest level in world sport. Since, India has gone onto establish itself as the world’s most powerful cricketing nation, showing its potential to develop a sporting industry, both on and off the field.
Football’s growth was slower by comparison, arguably happening in the shadow of cricket’s rise to power. However, certain cities and regions continued to develop as football strongholds, with old established clubs, leagues and large fan bases. The city of Kolkata is home to India’s two most historic teams and fierce rivals, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, whose derby match has historically attracted crowds in excess of 100,000 people. “Pele visited Kolkata in 1977, with the New York Cosmos,” shared Kapadia. “He was amazed to see 80,000 people on the streets to welcome him, and even more than that crammed into the stadium to see the friendly match against Mohun Bagan.”
Elsewhere in the south-western states of Goa and Kerala (thanks to Portuguese colonial influence) and the North Eastern regions near the Chinese border, there are proud footballing histories and active cultures of watching and playing the game.
Two leagues, one unique scenario
Although regional tournaments and competitions have been hosted since the late 1800’s, considering the size of the nation, an India-wide league was always going to be problematic. “India is more like a continent than a country,” explained Kapadia, “and a national league model has always been challenging for us.”
The National Football League was launched in 1996, and eventually rebranded and relaunched professionally in 2007 as the I-League, as it remains today. Despite containing the big Kolkata clubs and a series of other historic teams from around the country, the league never quite captured the mass public interest it could have done.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) decided in 2010 to try a new approach, signing a 15-year deal with one of the country’s biggest companies, IMG Reliance. This granted the company the rights to create, broadcast and manage an entirely new, franchise based league, inspired by the format of India’s successful IPL cricket model. With clubs set up in the biggest metropolitan cities, and stronghold footballing states, the league was launched in 2014.
On and off the field, big names and big money began to flood in. Famous global players began to choose India for their final seasons before retirement, with the likes of Robert Pires, Lucio, Diego Forlán, Nicolas Anelka, Freddie Ljungberg, Dimitar Berbatov and Roberto Carlos all finishing their playing careers in the ISL. Club owners included other big name Indian businesses, as well as Bollywood actors and superstar cricketers, and the games were broadcast to bigger audiences than ever before on national television.
“We have larger investment in the game, and foreign playing and coaching talent coming to India more and more, which is welcome”, shared Kapadia.
“The game is more visible now for sure, and players are being paid properly which is of course a positive”, he continued. “However, attachment to a club or a league takes years and generations, it is not always love at first sight, and there are still many challenges and complications when trying to unite the Indian football ecosystem”.
As Kapadia highlights, this left Indian football in a unique situation, with two professional leagues, both sanctioned and approved by FIFA. The I-League had the heritage, but lacked the financial backing and mass appeal of the ISL. Stakeholders from both sides argued for supremacy and legitimacy, with occasional cup matches between sides from the two respective leagues seen as a symbolic battleground. After a few seasons defined by phases of both rivalry and coexistence, plans began to emerge for the leagues to be brought together.
United roadmap for the future
Discussions began between the leagues, federation and FIFA to agree a shared strategy for the future, with a long, consultative process exploring options for the leagues to come together. This was deemed a necessary next step, for the growth of the game domestically, for Indian teams’ chances to compete in continental tournaments, and ultimately to support the improvement of the national team.
The roadmap was launched last season, granting the ISL status as the premier division in Indian football. The I-League is soon to become the second division, and there is a gradual merging process planned over the next few seasons, ultimately creating a one league system with promotion and relegation between multiple divisions.
Despite its growth and wider reach, the ISL was still lacking some of the traditional support enjoyed by the I-League, most prominently through the well-followed rival Kolkata clubs. In a huge coup for the league, Mohun Bagan recently joined forces with the city’s ISL franchise Atletico de Kolkata, hoping to bring their huge fan base and heritage into the ISL. East Bengal, the other national powerhouse, have also joined the league for the 2020-21 season, bringing India’s two oldest and best supported clubs into the top division.
This strategic process will be carried out over multiple years, with Indian stakeholders, the AFC and FIFA working together. The merger roadmap will run until 2025, and aims to lay the foundations for all football activity around the nation to be coordinated, and to continue developing performance at domestic, continental and international levels.
Challenges and ambitions: what next?
While accepting the positive step that a successful merger represents, a healthier top flight league is only one piece of the football development puzzle, in a country with many economic and cultural barriers to the sport’s growth. Combining leagues, fan bases and football cultures is by no means an easy task, particularly in such a giant country already divided by distance, language and religion.
“We need to be sure any developments impact the whole of Indian football at all levels, and the whole country, not just the top division,” shared Kapadia, highlighting the difficulty in developing grassroots infrastructure.
“The pool of talent is definitely there, and so is the ambition of the Indian people to see the clubs and the national team achieve at higher levels,” he continued. “They watch and love European football, and believe Indians can compete at that level one day. But we need the development of coaches, referees and young players at a huge scale, in regions where football has never been a high priority.”
A key part of the new league roadmap is that all ISL clubs have a duty to invest in youth academies, which should contribute towards the development of talent around the country. Franchises exist in some of the biggest cities and most popular footballing regions, and these clubs are continuing to spread their scouting and coaching resources further and wider. Additionally, the existing I-League infrastructure will be combined with the ISL, increasing the visibility of the feeder divisions and youth tournaments around the country, and giving players to progress up the newly formed football pyramid.
Growing links with Europe
External investment has also increased in recent years, with many European clubs closely following the growth of the league, and potential market, in India. City Football Group took the plunge in November 2019 and announced their intention to acquire Mumbai City FC, adding it to their global portfolio of clubs and making a statement about their long-term faith in Indian football.
Damian Willoughby, CEO of City Football Group India: “We are extremely excited about the future of Indian football. We know we can’t be a genuinely global group without a presence in India. We are looking forward to participating in its continued development and growth.”
Spain’s Atletico Madrid, having previously invested and withdrawn from relations with Kolkata’s ISL franchise, have now partnered with Indian conglomerate TATA to open a series of academies around the country.
Scotland’s Rangers have a partnership with Bengaluru FC, Germany’s Borussia Dortmund with FC Hyderabad, and there is evidence to suggest this trend of technical and marketing driven partnerships will continue between European leagues and the ISL.
Kapadia shared this sentiment, but warned of an over-reliance upon investment and foreign influence. “Bringing in this expertise and talent is of course a positive,” he admitted. “But we need to remember to develop football in an Indian way, not just copy a European or American model. Hopefully everyone can work together to popularise the game around the nation, locally and regionally as well as through the top league.”
With the leagues aligned, the foundations have been laid for a more united and energised Indian football ecosystem in the years to come. Despite numerous ongoing challenges, signs are positive that India can continue its rise to domestic and international footballing success, and grow into its new reputation as a “football country.”
