‘Doing far bigger things than what meets the eye’

NEWDELHI: In October, 2008, then Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting (I&b)—priya Ranjan Dasmunsi—suffered a major stroke that left him permanently incapacitated. It spelt change in the All India Football Federation (AIFF) that he had headed as president for two decades. As he underwent treatment, the responsibility of leading the AIFF fell on another cabinet minister in the ruling UPA coalition— then Union Minister of Civil Aviation Praful Patel. In two months, when the AIFF’S election was held, Dasmunsi was re-elected unopposed as president despite his inability to perform the role because of his health. Patel, the second-incommand, was re-elected as vice-president and became de-facto president of the body. Patel would later win the president’s election twice—in 2012 and 2016. This year, Patel will no longer be eligible to be part of the election race due to existing term limits as per the National Sports Code, 2011. During his 12 years as AIFF president, Patel took decisions that had significant consequences for Indian football. In 2010, AIFF signed a ~700 crore contract with Img-reliance. The Reliance-led Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), with whom the 15-year deal was signed, led to the creation of a new tournament—the Indian Super League (ISL)—IN 2014. Patel had insisted that the I-league would continue to be India’s top-flight despite but it didn’t stand. Now in the last stretch of his tenure, Patel says he didn’t mislead I-league stakeholders when he reassured them of top-flight status a few years back. Patel said India hosting the men’s FIFA U-17

World Cup in 2017 and the women’s edition in the same age-group later this year will have long-term benefits and that his tenure should be looked at from a ‘broader perspective’ rather than the ‘narrorw prism of I-league-isl’. Excerpts from an interview:

Looking back at your stint...

We are confident that whatever work has been done in the past eight to 10 years, we will see Indian football on a firm growth trajectory. The emphasis has been to have a strong pipeline of players who will form the nucleus of future Indian national teams, both men and women. And since we have focused on this in the last five-seven years very aggressively, we can say with confidence that the performance of our national teams will be far better. It’s a very challenging time in Indian football because we were in a state of transition from a marginal to a robust footballing nation.

The ISL was launched during your time. But in the I-league many clubs have vanished. Do you regret not being able to save some of these traditional clubs? FIFA and AFC both believe that for professional football to be sustainable and for the development of a game within a country, it is very important to have strong leagues backed by enough resources. With ISL, we could bring many new clubs into the football ecosystem. And some clubs have vanished even in the past; it has nothing to do with the ISL launch. Even when there was just I-league, so many clubs haven’t been able to sustain.

But even in ISL, of the eight founding clubs, three won’t be in existence by the start of next season. Clubs continue to suffer losses over ~30 crore on average. Where is the evidence that

ISL is sustainable?

How does it matter (that three of the founding clubs won’t be in existence)? People are coming in. All I am trying to say is that things evolve. Should we lower the standards of ISL? It (sustainability) will happen over a period of time. If a good ISL club loses ~ 25-30 crore a year, it is nothing compared to the money on the global stage.

You said in 2014 that ISL was just a ‘disruptor’ and I-league would always be the top-flight. Wasn’t your assurance misleading?

No, nothing is misleading; we have not misled anybody. You should focus on the larger things. Don’t judge Indian football from a narrow window. What I said in 2014, I-league at that time was the league, there was no other league. When the other league comes up, then you have to look at the two leagues and judge it with the larger view. All Indian football coverage is limited to I-league-isl, the larger picture gets neglected. We cannot talk of football in bits and pieces. For example, when a FIFA U-17 World Cup happens, do you think there is no long-term benefit?

What are the long-term benefits of hosting a major event like the FIFA U-17 World Cup?

You can’t quantify. There is a pipeline of players available for the future. There are TV viewers, upgradation of infrastructure; there is a cumulative build-up.

Isn’t it the job of a federation to help build a pipeline of players irrespective of whether India hosts a FIFA event or not?

You think we didn’t do anything before the U-17 World Cup? I can’t explain how much of grassroots activity is taking place across the country!

We have seen the federation in a rush to build a team for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup because there was no team before India got hosting rights… It is only for girls. Last two years, this (scouting) has been going on. For boys, it was going on for four-five years. I don’t know which other way to do it. My point is if you look at the overall ecosystem, what we are doing is far bigger than what meets the eye. You are only talking about what is the result today. I am talking about what will happen in five years’ time. Indian football will have made a dramatic and radical shift for the better. In last five years, the whole focus has moved away from the game to ISL and I-league.

But don’t you think what happens in the I-league and ISL affects Indian football?

No, it doesn’t. What player is getting affected? Any player that wants to play is getting an opportunity to play wherever he chooses. It’s a free market. They get better pay. What is wrong? Why are new clubs coming? Clubs come, clubs go.

We have never qualified for a FIFA tournament on merit. Can we do so in the near future?

With things we are doing, it will eventually happen someday. Now all the age-group leagues, the baby leagues are taking place. Once these young players grow up, there will be

a steady pipeline.

You have said in the past that India can qualify for the 2026 World Cup. What makes you believe in that possibility, given that India have qualified for only two Asian Cups since 1984?

I am even now saying that we should aspire to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Shouldn’t we have aspirations? If there is an 18-20-year-old player and he is doing well, then tomorrow by 2026 India team may be able to qualify as there is an expanded World Cup. Eight teams from Asia will go; if India can break into the top eight teams, then maybe we can go to the World Cup. There is a cynical view and there is a positive view to it; I am looking at it positively.

How do you look back at the work that has been done in women’s football?

So many things have been done. In qualification for IWL, the number of teams has grown. We want to improve the IWL. Today there is an Indian woman (Bala Devi) who is playing for Rangers.

But how can the AIFF claim credit for what an individual player is doing?

We can’t take credit but you don’t know how much effort has gone into ensuring this. So tomorrow if (Sunil) Chhetri scores 100 goals, you will say you can’t take credit, the

Indian side can’t take credit, only Chhetri can take credit. It’s the Indian team he is playing for. There will be many more players like Bala Devi.

Very few state associations are proactive in women’s football. Many complete their state leagues with five teams and just about fulfill the basic criteria… We have to be tolerant because all states don’t have resources. We don’t have money that we can give to states. It’s alright; things are getting better. Barring a few, I am happy with most states.

SAI provides funds to federations, including to AIFF specifically for exposure tours. Don’t you think these funds can be used better domestically?

But they don’t allow (the funds to be used domestically), what can we do? I would say we should get more money from the sports ministry for promotion of football.

Are there enough jobs for Indian coaches, especially with most clubs employing foreigners? They will work here or can go abroad. You are giving them a good certificate, a good career opportunity. Not just India, somebody can go to Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka or central Asian countries also for example. And there is nothing wrong with bringing international coaches.