It is quite a shame that a good chunk of Indians came to know about ISL only after cricketing icons Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly won bids for Kochi and Kolkata soccer teams. It is evident that the Indian population has little interest in football, let alone football leagues. Did you know that India has an existing football league? Called the I-league, it is the premier Indian football league at this moment.
The ISL might change the status of the I-league, and with popular figures showing interests in the game, it might just help Indian football put itself on the international football map.
A joint venture by IMG-Reliance and the AIFF (All India Football Federation), the league takes its cues from the much-popular cousin, the Indian Premier League, and is an initiative to get some quality football exposure to the local players, whilst bringing a number of well-known international football stars to play in India.
In January 2012, it was indeed a fascinating sight when a full-fledged Bayern Munich team played against the Indian national team, and the reception by the fans was outstanding in what was to be Baichang Bhutia’s last match in the Indian colors. So, the idea of bringing in some good international players, to play actual football games (not the friendly ones) will definitely be well received from the die-hard football fans across India.
Indian Super League Fixtures 2014
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