Positives but plenty to ponder as well

KOLKATA: That this could be the last Indian Super League (ISL) as we know it must be factored into conversations on the third edition beginning in Guwahati on Saturday. The ISL’s birth pangs are over but it’s some way from settling down. That means an equal measure of positives and points to ponder.

The positives first. Interest has grown. Chennai had 12000 watching an ISL game last term when the city was flooded and on Thursday, 96 journalists turned up for a Chennaiyin FC event. Kochi regularly had attendance in excess of 60,000 though Kerala Blasters finished last; a point acknowledged by football magazine ‘FourFourTwo’.

When India played Turkmenistan in a World Cup qualifier last March, Kochi looked like it was hosting a Test. Two months later, when Goa held a Federation Cup semifinal, it wasn’t even that. Contrast that with FC Goa’s home games in ISL1 and 2.

The integration of the I-League and ISL is some time away but Delhi Dynamos and FC Pune City will participate in youth leagues organised by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) this year. From training referees to youth team coaches, ISL has contributed. Youth team players too if you consider the boys who train at FC Metz were signed by Chennaiyin FC. The new under-21 rule this term also means that nearly all franchises have a teenager in the squad. STABILITY Coaches Zico (FC Goa) and Marco Materazzi (Chennaiyin FC) have brought stability by staying for the third season as have imports Borja Fernandez and Ofentse Nato (Atletico de Kolkata), Bernard Mendy (Chennaiyin FC) and Gregory Arnolin (FC Goa).

Barring Nato and Fernandez, ATK retained five foreigners. John Arne Riise, Chennaiyin FC’s marquee, and Didier Zokora have returned though for different teams. For Florent Malouda and Lucio, this will be a second season. Rumours have it that Dimitar Berbatov may replace Eidur Gudjohnsen at FC Pune City.

But that’s also one of the points to ponder. With an average age of 29, India tops the oldies’ list in this summer’s transfer window, according to Goal.com, which sourced the data from Fifa. If the league becomes longer, will it attract young talent such as Stiven Mendoza who is now with New York City FC? Will players in the twilight zone return? David Platt, Pune City coach last season, had told HT it would be a challenge getting them to spend over six months in India.