The Indian Super League is important to Indian football, but so far it hasn’t lived up to its promise.
The Indian Super League is important to Indian football, but so far it hasn’t lived up to its promise.
with The ninth season of the Indian Super League (ISL) is starting in Kochi. And the ball is ready to roll FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Bhubaneswar From Tuesday, football in India may finally leave behind a chaotic and unpleasant period that was littered with boardroom battles and lawsuits in the country’s highest courts. Two competitions have found new leases of life: the ISL has returned to the traditional home-and-away format after two tumultuous seasons in a bio-bubble, while the World Cup is back in the country’s embrace. Once in 2020 because of COVID-19 and again two months ago when FIFA suspends All India Football Federation (AIFF) and withheld hosting rights. Under the new AIFF administration, both these championships are expected to usher in a productive era for the sport in India. The ISL is crucial for players’ preparation ahead of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. A good performance in the Premier Continental tournament can boost the country’s position. The World Cup can give impetus to the overall development of women’s football in the country, which is still in its infancy.
Eight years ago, the ISL was introduced with the aim of revolutionizing the game. A few months before this, in December 2013, India won the hosting rights of its first global competition – the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. But since then, progress has only been incremental. The lack of a pyramid of leagues held together by the ISL’s top-down approach, the principle of promotion and relegation, and the absence of qualitative improvements at the grassroots have resulted in India being ranked 106th in the world rankings and 19th in the Asian leagues. hierarchy. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be a 48-team affair, expanding from the current 32. Eight places are guaranteed for Asia, but India needs to be at least in the top 10 at the continental level to have a real chance of qualifying. The U-17 World Cup set in motion a change. A group of players such as Suresh Wangjam, Aniket Jadhav and Lalengmawia Apuia flourished together in the AIFF’s development side Indian Arrows, then became regulars for their ISL clubs and eventually secured berths in the Indian national team. Such a clear path does not exist for women. If the Under-17 Women’s World Cup could help pave a similar path, it would have done its job.