THE BLOG BY CPD FOOTBALL | The World of Indian football and beyond by Chris Punnakkattu Daniel

Praful Patel: We require the support of FIFA to build Indian football

Jérôme Valcke and Praful Patel

Jérôme Valcke and Praful Patel

Delhi Dynamos FC hosted FC Pune City in the third match of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) late on Tuesday night.

Prominent attendees at this game included the likes of AIFF President Praful Patel and FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke.

Patel took some time out to speak exclusively to the ISL Media Team (indiansuperleague.com) and gave his views about the competition so far, and about the ambition to take football forward in the country.

INTERVIEW

So what did you think of the first match in Delhi?
The atmosphere was great, and you could see the enthusiasm amongst the fans and lovers of football. Indian football needs this kind support from the spectators.

We’ve had three games so far in the ISL. What did you make of them?
It’s great to see fans coming in big numbers to all the venues. Stadiums are almost full, in fact Guwahati was overflowing; the Delhi and Kolkata stadiums are huge, so you have to take that into consideration comparatively.
These are early days, and the tournament is gradually building up. But when the tournament reaches its second phase, I am sure you will find all the stands overflowing with spectators, really rooting for their teams. I think we are building towards the climax and this has a great beginning.

You met with Jérôme Valcke earlier today. Can you tell us about it? How crucial is the partnership with FIFA in developing Indian football?
Let me be very honest. This is the first time FIFA has allowed a special league, like the ISL, anywhere in the world, out of all its 209 members. We have the I-League, which is our main league, and is of course the FIFA and AFC mandate that we have to uphold. But this is a special league which has been allowed to take place only for India, and for the first time ever, I think we require the support of FIFA to build Indian football. We explained the importance of having the ISL in a shorter format rather than the full-fledged league, as we will continue that after the competition.
Basically, the idea was to involve the spectators, bring in more sponsors and bring some interest into the game. Having a Del Piero, a Garcia, a Ljungberg suddenly makes all the difference. These players are going to bring excitement to the game. Indian fans have only seen them on television but can now can see them for real.
This league is all set to encourage Indian youngsters interested in the game, as it gives them a chance to play alongside the best footballers of the world. This league brings you international coaches and international players, and the entire organisation of this tournament also teaches Indian football many new things. So, like I said, I think it’s a great beginning.
We have high expectations, right from the opportunity to host the U-17 World Cup to our bid for the Club World Cup 2017-18, which we are hopeful to win, and eventually many more tournaments. Let’s keep our fingers crossed. We have to keep doing our best to provide that level of excitement, and to continue providing the best of football to the people of India.