Football is groping in the dark, and the AIFF couldn't care less

THERE IS hardly any light at the end of the tunnel. And as an inept officialdom remains detached from the actual cause, it is no wonder then that Indian football continues to grope in the dark. Much against the chagrin of the players and coaches who normally ought to have drawn inspiration from those at the top of the All India Football Federation.

Such circumstances have never prevailed in the history of the game in this country. To such an extent wherein the key officials of the AIFF themselves are engaged in a no holds barred battle to prove their own supremacy, forgetful of their alleged allegiance to the game and their sworn affidavit to spare time for the promotion of Indian football keeping in mind the spirit of the laws which govern this sport.

Sure enough, the effects of such irrational behaviour and their continuing indifferences to the game have rocked the very foundation of Indian football, the impact of which is slowly but surely threatening to engulf the whole system. Significant is the apathy of the corporates to take the plunge and extend a helping hand.

Indian football, has always suffered from lack of adequate sponsorship. The most recent example being the failure of the AIFF to rope in a suitable sponsor to support the conduct of the 56th National championship which left the local organisers in Thrissur strain themselves to honour their commitments solely depending upon the gates. And with the fans turning up in large numbers only for those matches which featured the hosts, the tension that prevailed among the key officials of the LOC, over discussions on how to save themselves from possible embarrassment, was indeed palpable.

Elsewhere, things were even bad and as rumours were finally confirmed that the Bangalore-based United Breweries had drastically scaled down the next season's budgets for both the Calcutta powerhouses, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, it did not take much time for the alarm bells to ring. The doomsayers were back in business; and the players, understandably, agitated when realisation came that they would have to settle down for a far lighter purse than what had been offered last season.

The euphoria which was evident when the UB group stepped forward with a deal to sponsor both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in 1998, needless to say, has been replaced by a pall of gloom and officials left tongue-tied by the sudden turn in the tide. Much in contrast to the reaffirmation of their faith by big business houses and promotional agencies in the game even when cricket was delivered a body blow in early April by the unearthing of the Hansiegate scandal.

The impact of the UB group's decision to cut down the sponsorship amount for both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal from an impressive Rs. 2.76 crores, that the company paid each of these two clubs two years ago, to Rs. 1.35 crores for the next season certainly needs no elaboration. A decision which not only means that these clubs will receive roughly about 40 per cent less than the Rs. 2.22 crores they got last season, but also reiterates the waning interest of the liquor giant in the game.

Unlikely to have caused by nothing else than the poor mileage that the company got in return through the last two years for the fortune it parted with for the benefit of Indian football. And more importantly, the failure of the clubs to keep up their commitment particularly Mohun Bagan, which according to the deal, was to have the label of one of UB's popular brands prefixed to its name; but was stopped from doing so by a section of the members of that club, who were quick to approach the court against any such prefixation. The case is still pending.

In the case of East Bengal, it should have been its poor performance in the recent National Football League which forced the sponsor to think back on its commitment. ``The amount was to be the same for all the three years according to the original agreement. And though, they (the UB group) went back on their word and brought down the deal amount last year, we were all thinking that the company would retain the same amount for the next season. The drastic cut now effected is undoubtedly a big blow as we will have very little money to offer our players especially since a major chunk of the Rs. 1 crore earmarked as players fees would have to be set apart for enrolling the foreign players without whom no club can ever imagine of performing creditably in the league,'' said the East Bengal team manager, Swapan Bal.

``It is a very sad situation. And if we are unable to overcome the problems within the AIFF and turn our NFL into a truly professional league, fast enough, clubs like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal will soon be out of business. It is just our hard luck that we lost the services of Sulai Musa, Amit Das and Raman Vijayan due to injuries very early in the league and thus could finish only outside the prize-money bracket this year. Otherwise, we had struck to every other norm in the contract and the company officials were themselves appreciative of our efforts. However, if the company still has brought down the budgets, it should be due to other reasons also,'' Bal added.

But then, the players are unwilling to buy the arguments put forth by the club officials. The very talk of having to adjust themselves to a purse of Rs. 4-5 lakhs compared to the Rs.8-10 lakhs earned by them last year itself turning them angry. Said Carlton Chapman, the former international who played for East Bengal last season, ``This is all rubbish and I think we are drawn into the whole thing unnecessarily. It is something which is between the club and the sponsor. And if the sponsor does not pay enough, it is the duty of the club officials to find out other means to pay the players. I am sure that no player will agree to settle for less than what he earned last year. Certainly, I am moving out this season.''

In fact, both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan have already sought the intervention of the UB chairman, Mr. Vijay Mallya, so that their budgets for the next season are restored at least to the same level of last year. But all the same, the April 12 decision of the company it does seem has already set in a chain reaction with clubs like Salgaocar and Churchill Brothers too reportedly deciding to bring down their expenditure for the next season by about 40 per cent. Unfortunately for the players, the fate of FC Kochin, the country's first professional outfit, too has been no different what with that club feeling the pinch due to lack of adequate sponsor support last year.

What has irritated the players more than the downsized offer is the reported unwritten deal, against poaching of players between their ranks, struck by Mohun Bagan and East Bengal at the insistence of their sponsor. ``This is nothing but ridiculous and I am not sure why they allowed themselves to agree to such a deal. It means that the players will be left with very little choice from now on. And if this is going to be the situation, I have already made up my mind to either join Dempo or some other II Division club, so that I can at least play without any tension that normally goes with the big clubs of Calcutta. Or else, I am going to simply pack my bags and go home,'' said another East Bengal player, hailing from the North East, on the condition of anonymity.

Agreeing fully with the contention of the players is none other than the current National coach, Sukhvinder Singh, who is otherwise employed with JCT, another major player in Indian football. ``The players should be given the freedom to make their own choice of which club they should play for. I would only blame the Calcutta clubs for having reduced themselves to remain at the mercy of their sponsors. For the simple reason that they themselves were the ones to hike the players fee to the extent which is prevailing today. When they got their deal struck with the UB group initially, they never thought of reserving sufficient funds for their future or for improving the facilities in the maidan. They were reported to have paid Rs. 30 lakhs to Chima Okerie, Rs. 27 lakhs to I. M. Vijayan, Rs. 24 lakhs to Bhaichung Bhutia and Rs. 20 lakhs to Jo Paul Anchery besides giving similar hikes in the signing amount of the other players that season, whereas Bhutia, Vijayan, Chapman and Anchery along with other players were together paid only a little over Rs. 60 lakhs while playing for JCT the previous year.''

Sukvinder's revelation does prove that the two Calcutta clubs have bungled badly in the money game, but Bal's inference, of other reasons, on the wariness being shown by the sponsors to pump in money to Indian football cannot be discounted straightaway. For the bottomline to any corporate major, willing to spend money on any cause, would be to derive mileage and improve performance; assessing the true value of the amount spent in relation to the turnout of the crowd, the show on display and media coverage.

It is here that Indian football falls flat what with the game suffering from poor administration, inconsistent and shoddy performances from the players and the total disinterest shown by Doordarshan, despite it having a deal with the AIFF, to beam even important games to the drawing rooms across the country. Naturally, a scene from which any sponsor would like to vanish (like Philips, ITC to name only two companies) so as to at least save his own skin.

Of much concern lately, whether be it in Calcutta, Kerala or Goa (considered to be bastions of the game), has been the dwindling number of spectators who now can't simply come to terms of spending their hard-earned money to witness drab contests unless his or her favourite team is involved. That players by themselves are no longer crowd pullers as it used to be in the past especially during the days of Inder Singh, Chuni Goswami, Mohd. Habeeb and P.K.Banerjee, does only reflect the growing dreariness even among the genuine supporters of Indian football today. Exposed to high quality games on satellite channels day in and day out, the very thought of watching Indian football should by itself be disgusting for many. It is also not far from truth that the AIFF has done precious little to stem the tide by chalking out meaningful programmes for the development of the game in this country.

Instead, it has preferred to remain a silent spectator, caught in the cobwebs of the power struggles within itself, untouched by the consequences of its own ineffectiveness. Should it fail to get its act together without any further delay, it certainly would not take much time for the epitaph of Indian football to be written some day or other in the none-too-distant future.

A. VINOD

Thiruvananthapuram

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