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Football is not about money!
Europe is where we see clubs paying millions and millions of dollars to buy players, pay them. These are the clubs which regularly win those league titles and also the continental ones. If you don't, you are not cared for.
So we see Neymar Jr. being lured to PSG for €222 million, and quite the same is the case with the likes of Alexis Sanchez moving to Man United despite a comfortable lifestyle at Arsenal. I call it 'stigma', and it's as simple as that!
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So what's going with clubs with no money? The situation is quite grim. Consider the situation of former Italian giants Parma when they went bankrupt and were relegated to Serie D. It was only with passion and love for the game that they got promoted back to the top tier at the end of the 2017/18 season.
The Parma story
Parma has quite an exciting story. They went bankrupt in 2015, with total liabilities of €218 million which also included some €63 million unpaid salaries. This led to the club having to be re-founded in July 2015!
They had to play their first season in the fourth tier, but subsequently won promotion to LegaPro- the third tier, before playing in Serie B and then winning promotion back to the top tier at the end of the 2017-18 season!
A true story of a valiant club with passion and determination! Not money though.
Latin Clubs
Latin Americans are the ones most famous for their passion. You could see the emotion when a team loses a match or when fans throng in the stadium in a derby or when commentators shout 'Gooooooaalllll....'!
Latin clubs don't have money. Their talents are always lured to the big clubs. Yet they don't seem to give up, they are always looking for youngsters and talents who have the capability to make his (or even 'her' these days) club and country proud.
They are the real clubs. They never think of themselves in future!
The problem with Indian football
Thousands of miles away, India is facing a completely different situation. The Indian FA or the AIFF is responsible for this and it may cost us dear.
In 2010, the AIFF signed a massive deal with Reliance Industries and the International Management Group (IMG). This deal meant IMG-Reliance were given exclusive rights to sponsorship, broadcasting, merchandising among others, and more importantly, also the right to create a new football league here in India.
Thus, the Hero ISL came into being in 2014.
Three years later, in 2017, the ISL got recognition from AFC, while the I league continued to be recognized as the top tier league.
However, the maltreatment of I league cannot be ignored any longer. Most recently, Star Network (which has a 35% stake of ISL) came out with a notification to broadcast only a handful of I League games despite having more than ten channels at disposal!
More shockingly, it has come out publicly that it is the Reliance sponsored Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) who holds the power to select the players and coaches of the not only the ISL clubs, but also the national team!
Has anybody, who is reading this article, heard of a league where clubs have to pay to play in the competition?
Its only the ISL where you have to pay Rs.15 Cr to just play!
Weird!
Football is about passion and dedication, where merit is the criteria to play the game. Not money!
Football is freedom where clubs have the right to select their executives, staff and players.
Football is about giving fans the right to be creative, without any intervention by the security or police. Yes, if you have watched a match of ISL in the stadium, you'd know how fans are treated!
Fans' rights need to be addressed. As well as their demands! When they launch petitions after petitions asking you to sack the head coach or broadcast I league matches, you should know that there must be a reason.
Yes, I agree when some people say that I league clubs lack funds. But trust me, the ISL ones are no better. They are not cash-rich as they claim to be. If they had been, they would have certainly indulged in the international transfer market.
And also, let me assure you that, in merit, the I League clubs are no less than ISL franchises.
The solution
One league with promotion-relegation system is the answer to Indian football. We might even be given the right to directly qualify for the AFC Champions League group stage if we achieve that!
Qualification directly to the Champions League group stage! Well, it might be difficult even after we achieve the merger of ISL-I league due to the strange AFC laws. But we will be surely given two spots in the elite league (preliminary level).
Proper HD broadcast and good quality stadiums are the other factors where we need to pay close attention. If you have followed the I league season closely, you must have sorry to see the state of broadcast and the quality of turfs.
I am quite very sure that once we achieve those, investors will be attracted to our clubs. But before that, we need to clear up the fuss surrounding Indian football!
Football is about passion, enthusiasm, kill and determination. It should be played with fairness and merit should be the criteria to the team's position!
