NewsClick

NewsClick
  • हिन्दी
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Covid-19
  • Science
  • Culture
  • India
  • International
  • Sports
  • Articles
  • Videos
search
menu

INTERACTIVE ELECTION MAPS

image/svg+xml
  • All Articles
  • Newsclick Articles
  • All Videos
  • Newsclick Videos
  • हिन्दी
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Science
  • Culture
  • India
  • Sports
  • International
  • Africa
  • Latin America
  • Palestine
  • Nepal
  • Pakistan
  • Sri Lanka
  • US
  • West Asia
About us
Subscribe
Follow us Facebook - Newsclick Twitter - Newsclick RSS - Newsclick
close menu
×
For latest updates on nCOVID-19 around the world visit our INTERACTIVE COVID MAP
sports
Covid-19
India

Made and Minted in I-League, Behold the Young Indian Stars of ISL

Lest the fact gets lost in the glitz, goals and prize cheques of the Indian Super League, the many young and exciting players who have shone this year have all come up through non-ISL academies, nurtured by I-League clubs. The very system and supply chain is getting ignored in the top-heavy modus operandi of Indian football authorities.
Jaydeep Basu
30 Dec 2020
Liston Colaco of Hyderabad FC

Liston Colaco, who came up via Salgaocar FC’s junior programme, has been a revelation this Indian Super League season whenever he has come on for Hyderabad FC.

Robbie Fowler is by far the biggest name in the seventh edition of the Indian Super League (ISL); footballers, coaches, support staff all included. To watch a man with 183 Premier League strikes under his belt operating from the bench at an Indian football ground is in itself a privilege. As simple as that.

But the Liverpool legend has another side to his character. One which is not as admirable as his panther-like aggression in the 18-yard area. Every time he makes an attempt to say something about SC East Bengal’s performance, he invariably puts his foot in his mouth. 

Increasingly impatient with his critics, his worst came after the 2-3 defeat against Hyderabad FC. He dismissed his own footballers as no good saying that his was “a team that is built for the I-League. The recruitment process for this team was for the I-League and then we catapulted to the ISL. Now it’s up to the players to show that they are good enough for the ISL.”

Also Read | Allardyce Calls for ‘Circuit Break’ Amid Rising Covid-19 Cases

Fowler’s statement reeks of a complete lack of understanding of the structure of the game in the country. Fowler is not alone though. It has perhaps got to do with how the narrative around India’s top league has been spun. The story behind the journey of an average Indian footballer never comes out in the glitz of the ISL. It requires no rocket science to look beyond the vested narratives though. 

A look at the account of the ongoing ISL in the last six weeks would reveal a telling picture. A cursory glance at the list of young footballers, who have made an impact (but are yet to get an India call) would reveal they are either products of I-League, or have been incorporated from different academies, the ones from All India Football Federation (AIFF) included. They have neither been prematurely catapulted, nor did their quality seem below par for the royal ISL battle.

Among the young Indian goalkeepers, 23-year-old Arshdeep Singh Saini of Odisha FC had been the most impressive so far despite his team’s obvious failure to make an impact. Without some of his brave efforts under the bar, the two points collected by Odisha so far would have been doubtful. A product of the AIFF elite academy, he spent considerable time in I-League side Minerva Punjab before graduating to ISL.

In defence, a good number of youngsters like Mohammed Rakip (Mumbai City FC), Seriton Fernandes, Saviour Gama (both FC Goa), Akash Mishra, Chinglensana Singh (both Hyderabad FC), Mehtab Singh (Mumbai City FC) and few others have made a mark. Looking at them, one can feel slightly optimistic about the future of Indian football. None of them, bar Saviour Gama, was made in the ISL. Rakip learnt his tricks in the Indian Arrows setup, Mehtab Singh travelled through Mahilpur Football Academy, East Bengal and Gokulam FC before being hailed as “prospects”.

Where was Akash Mishra before? In Indian Arrows, who still play the I-League. Chinglensana Singh did his duty at Shillong Lajong before joining Hyderabad. Seriton Fernandes had joined Sporting Clube de Goa in 2016. 

It is evident that they all have come through the grinds of the I-League and the academies before the lure of big money and the federation’s policy to reduce all other tournaments to virtual non-entities made them shift. 

It is heartening to find youngsters such as Liston Colaco, Mohammed Yasir (both Hyderabad FC), Bipin Singh (Mumbai City FC), Ninthoi Meetei NorthEast United), Mobashir Rahman (Jamshedpur FC), Princeton Robello (FC Goa), Rochharzela (NorthEast United) playing eye-catching football whenever they receive an opportunity with their teams.

Dig deep and a majority of them will all be found products of a system that has often been dismissed. From Aizawl FC, from Arrows, or Churchill Brothers. Liston Colaco, the biggest sensation among the upcoming Indians so far, learned his game at Salgaocar FC, who nearly shut shop after 50 years, citing step-motherly treatment by the AIFF.

Also Read | ATK Mohun Bagan Play for a Point, Not To Prove But To Gather

Fowler can’t be blamed. His understanding of Indian football is clearly superficial. And that's the narrative that has been encouraged from the top: I-League is for unskilled, second graders – it has no value or standing in Indian football. 

Not to say the ISL only runs on mercenaries. There are talented footballers like Gurmeet (NorthEast), Sandeep Mandi (Jamshedpur), or Leon Augustine (Bengaluru FC), who have come up through its internal system. But then, these numbers are still negligible. 

True, the top league of the country is only seven years old and the time is not yet ripe to expect its junior programme bear the fruits. Moreover, it is common knowledge that junior programmes of some of the ISL clubs do not inspire confidence.

There are a lot of positives for Indian football in the ISL this season, thanks to players being called prospects who have come through a well established system. That process needs to continue, says Subhash Bhowmick, former India skipper and coach, who has been watching the matches keenly. “It has given me hope,” he says. “A few of the young Indians have good futures. But they have to be nurtured and guided. But do these foreign coaches have time for that,” he wonders.

Also Read | Scottish Club Kilmarnock’s Manager Subjected to Racist Abuse

Nurturing talent or Indian football’s future is not the priority for the coaches roped in by the clubs, Fowler included. They have to look at the season, win matches, and make a push for the title if possible. And leave. That is why the leagues and clubs which truly have deep connections in the grassroots -- the very competitions and establishments ignored by the powers calling the shots in Indian football  -- are important.  

Let us not forget that Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Udanta Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Pritam Kotal, Pranoy Haldar, Subhasish Bose, Aniruddha Thapa to name a few, turned themselves into India stars while playing in the I-League. Players like Balwant Singh, CK Vineeth or Jeje Lalpekhlua were part of the same lot. 

Indian football -- the top tier of the game in the country -- will never become the engine for pushing up the game to Asian and global standards on its own. That requires a well-oiled system where all competitions and all tiers of football play their part in establishing a supply chain or fresh, young talent. That supply chain has been ignored.

While Covid-19 is cited for the lack of initiative by the AIFF to restart age-group competitions for boys and girls, I-League second division, the national football championships, and even women’s football, the pandemic is just a convenient foil to hide the general apathy shown towards everything else other than ISL. If this approach continues, instances of exciting talents such as Liston, Chinglensana or Akash blossoming would become a rare sight in Indian football.

The future in football, they say, is always made in the present. And at the moment, as we enter 2021, we have the ISL, the I-League which is set to begin, and nothingness….

Read more sports stories from Newsclick

Get the latest reports & analysis with people's perspective on Protests, movements & deep analytical videos, discussions of the current affairs in your Telegram app. Subscribe to NewsClick's Telegram channel & get Real-Time updates on stories, as they get published on our website.
Indian Super League
ISL
ISL Indian stars
Young Indian stars ISL
Indian Football
Indian football future
i-league
Sanotsh Trophy
Robbie Fowler
SC East Bengal
Arshdeep Singh Saini
Mohammed Rakip
Seriton Fernandes
Saviour Gama
Akash Mishra
Chinglensana Singh
Mehtab Singh
Liston Colaco
mohammed Yasir
Bipin Singh
Ninthoi Meetei
Mobashir Rahman
Princeton Robello
Rochharzela
Indian football grassroots
grassroots football
Related Stories
Lalliansanga Renthlei of Sudeva Delhi FC

At Home in the New Normal: How Footballers are Forged in Bubbles

Carles Cuadrat sacked by Bengaluru FC

Why Bengaluru FC Let Go of Carles Cuadrat (420 Grams S-3, Ep.13)

Sudeva Delhi FC vs Mohammedan Sporting I-league match review

Sudeva Delhi FC vs Mohammedan Sporting I-League Match Analysis (420 Grams)

I-League 2021 Countdown: Aizawl FC, TRAU FC and Neroca FC

I-League 2021: Aizawl, TRAU and Neroca, the Beacons from North East

Liston Colaco of Hyderabad FC vs NEUFC

Hyderabad Win, Draw & Win A Game Again, Thanks To Roca-Colaco Magic

I-League 2021 Countdown: Real Kashmir FC and RoundGlass Punjab FC

I-League 2021: The North Contenders, Real Kashmir With an Eclectic Mix; RoundGlass Punjab With an Enviable Squad

I-League 2021 Countdown: Indian Arrows and Sudeva Delhi FC.

I-League 2021: Indian Arrows, Sudeva Delhi FC Offer Glimpse Into Future

420 grams i-league preview part 1

I-League 2021 Preview Part 1: Churchill, Mohammedan, Kashmir, Arrows and Sudeva (420 Grams S3, Ep.12)

Odisha FC beat Kerala Blasters FC in ISL

Kerala Blasted Away as Odisha Register First Win of Season

I-league 2020-21 preview: Gokulam and Chennai

I-League 2021: Gokulam Kerala, Chennai City FC and the South Indian Intrigue

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare via EmailShare on RedditShare on KindlePrint
Share
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare via EmailShare on RedditShare on KindlePrint
Share

Related Stories

Jaydeep Basu

A Superbly Indian League: Where Non Experts Hold Cards and Referees Get Sent Off

18 January 2021
On January 6, at the Tilak Maidan in Goa, SC East Bengal defender Danny Fox was pulled up by the referee, Rowan
Newsclick Sports

I-League 2021: Thrillers, Spillers and a Gokulam Kerala Fight Back Fit for Folklore

15 January 2021
Maybe the best way to grasp what happened last evening is to pause, breathe and play everything back frame by f
Newsclick Sports Production

Sudeva Delhi FC Beat Indian Arrows in I-League: Analysis with Kean Lewis (420 Grams Inside Access)

14 January 2021
Sudeva Delhi FC beat Indian Arrows 3-0 in their I-League match at the Kalyani Stadium on January 14.

Pagination

  • Next page ››

More

  • The peole of Laika-Dodhia villages set up camps near the office of Tinsukia DC

    Assam: Protesting Residents of Laika-Dodhia Break Barricades to Enter DC Office Ahead of PM’s Distribution of Land Pattas

  • Without Salaries for Months, Cash-Starved PSUs Employees Protest in J&K

    Without Salaries for Months, Cash-Starved PSUs Employees Protest in J&K

  • UP: Farmers to Take Part in Tractor Parade on Republic Day ‘Come what May’

    UP: Farmers to Take Part in Tractor Parade on Republic Day ‘Come what May’

  • COVID-19

    COVID-19: Auto-Antibodies Driving Disease Severity

  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with
about