Is it Let’s Bag Jesse Fink Week or something? First there was Les Murray at The World Game gently chiding me for defending Emmanuel Adebayor. Now Davidde Corran at The Roar has let out a very public groan at another one of my impassioned open letters to Pim Verbeek to play Richard Porta.
I’m a sensitive little flower, so please be kind, readers.
But I’m going to lob another verbal hand grenade in the direction of the FFA this week and tell them to get their bloody act together to counter these player raids by Asian clubs. They need to do something, which is better than what they’re currently doing, which is nothing.
Followers of this column will know I’ve written extensively on the subject, so this is not the place rehash all the arguments for why Australian football needs to not only be vigilant but strong in the face of such relentless poaching.
You well know the wheres and whys.
What is new, however, is where the reported interest in Asia is coming from. India is slowly eating away at Australian domestic cricket and it threatens to do the same with domestic football.
The premier Indian domestic football competition, the I-League, whose new season kicks off in October, might be regarded as a joke now, and for all intents and purposes it is.
But FIFA and the AFC have a strong interest in the long-term growth of the game on the subcontinent, the All India Football Federation and I-League are being overhauled in key administrative positions, and the sheer economic windfall that companies stand to make should the game take off means there will never be any shortage of interested parties wanting to make the sport work.
It might take 20 years. It might take 50. But India is going to be a power in football and a smart A-League club should be making connections now – if only ceremonial – with those teams that will emerge as Asian superclubs in the future: Mohun Bagan, Mahindra United, Pune, Dempo and Churchill Brothers.
The prospects of players going to Indian clubs in the short term is minimal, and will likely begin and end with state league players unable to land A-League contracts and wanting a bit of an adventure.
But a shrewd chief executive should see the benefit of looking at someone such as Baichung Bhutia, India’s most capped player who is coming to the end of his career, Nehru Cup hero Subrata Pal or new wonderboy Sunil Chhetri, who was knocked back for a UK work visa and so couldn’t join Queens Park Rangers, who wanted him on a three-year deal.
He’s currently cooling his heels at Dempo in Goa and would undoubtedly relish the prospect of Asian Champions League football with an A-League club. (Dempo was defeated in the playoff for an ACL place by UAE club Al-Sharjah in February.)
A big market. Big exposure. Big commercial prospects. With the possibility of a decent footballer thrown in the mix.
It might all seem a bit fanciful and ambitious, but that’s the whole point of running a business, isn’t it? If the A-League can gain even just a small foothold in Indian football, it’s making a very wise investment in its own future.
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Kurt said | September 25th 2009 @ 3:12am | Report comment
Is there some sort of standing order in the AFC that national competitions need to be named in accordance with the strict protocol of: First letter of the country name – league. K-league, J-league, A-league now I-league. What would happen if say China called its comp the ‘Chinese premier league’ or something – would they be kicked out of the conference?
Freud of Football said | September 25th 2009 @ 4:46am | Report comment
Yes and they’d be shot for good measure???
NUFCMVFC said | September 25th 2009 @ 7:43am | Report comment
I think the “letter moniker” is just a trend that has developed, like “Premier league” after the EPL in 1993
Links with India makes sense, big emerging country with a growing Middle Class, obviously Cricket is doing well but I think football used to be quite potent in certain regions until recently. Obviously when people speak of futre being Asia, they are speaking not just f China and India as well, so makes sense that FIFA and AFC (Vision Inida) will want to tap into that, even EPL perhaps. SO makes sese for Australians to develop links in some capacity
Kazama said | September 25th 2009 @ 9:09am | Report comment
Well, you’d be pretty daft t ignore the potential presented by a sports-mad country with a population of over 1 billion.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the EPL game with the biggest global audience of all time a match between Man City and Everton (which featured Sun Jihai and Li Tie)?
Obviously cricket is well and truly #1 in India, but as I understand football has a pretty big following as well. Seen primarily as a spectator sport perhaps, but the interest is there at least.
I have previously heard whispers of some prominent Indians looking at an IPL-type concept for a football tournament but that seems to have come to nothing.
If I were an A-League team, or any sports franchise really, I’d seriously have a look at ways you could ‘sell the product’ to Indians.
We have a lot of Indian students currently studying in Adelaide so maybe if AU want to increase their fan base overnight…
AndyRoo said | September 25th 2009 @ 9:20am | Report comment
After this first half of this article I thought you were going to propose something like “a new Asian marquee” and groaned….but thankfully I was surprised.
Bhutia would be a good signing but I don’t think coaches would take the risk (even though he has lower league experience, the perfect McKenna signing) until we changed the visa rule because a European style player or Brazilian is less of a gamble on the park. If there was say 4 visa spots unrestricted and 2 for Asian players only his signing would make a lot of sense and it would be great for the league.
Say Nth QLD for example, you could have him do a blog of his experiences in Australia with half of them about football and the other half more about the differences between Australia/India and his days off (trips to the Barrier reef, Daintree, fishing with Fowler etc) with photos. Put up a downloadable clip with highlights (obvious empthasis on Bhutia of course).
The time to get him is now while he is still stinging from his suspension.
Anything like this so that when the ACL draw is done there is a slight flicker of recognition of an Australian team outside our shores is good for future sponsorship or our places in Asia. The more neutrals we can get to be mildly interested in our teams the better, it’s one of the ways we can get 4 spots is if people want to See Adelaide or Nth Qld play.
Brett McKay said | September 25th 2009 @ 9:24am | Report comment
Jesse Fink, a “sensitive little flower”?!? Now I have heard it all!!
I guess it’s natural that the Indian giant be recognised in football circles eventually, if it wasn’t already. In fact with the influence of the British Raj until the 1940s, it’s a wonder India isn’t already a football superpower, especially given they took to cricket like beef to vindaloo…
Kazama said | September 25th 2009 @ 9:35am | Report comment
As an Indian friend explained to me Brett, Indians love watching football but not playing it. That’s why – in his words – if you are looking to see where the Indian team is in a tournament, you’ll find them at the bottom of the ladder.
Brett McKay said | September 25th 2009 @ 10:22am | Report comment
funnily enough Kaz, a subcontinental friend of mine once said the complete opposite to me about cricket one day – they much prefer playing it than watching it, which is why Tests in India are attended like Shield games over here…
Kazama said | September 25th 2009 @ 10:27am | Report comment
Putting our two stories together, it would explain a lot.
Brett McKay said | September 25th 2009 @ 10:36am | Report comment
Quite true..
Mike Tuckerman said | September 25th 2009 @ 9:59am | Report comment
The I-League has already had a small (but symbolically significant) impact on the A-League.
Former New Zealand international and ex-Wellington Phoenix midfielder Jeremy Christie trialled with Mumbai FC this year and while I’m not certain of the outcome, Mumbai have already signed 20-year old J. League trained striker Kayne Vincent, who featured for Waitakere United against Adelaide United at last year’s FIFA Club World Cup.
Manfred the Milko said | September 25th 2009 @ 10:20am | Report comment
I am getting phone calls this week from Indian clubs wanting Australian players.
“But I am not that involved in the game anymore since APIA swindled me” I said.
These Indians are talking to anyone and everyone
I am calling John Wayne
AndyRoo said | September 25th 2009 @ 10:31am | Report comment
I am getting a lot of calls from Indians too…. but only about how much I could be saving on my telephone.
Brett McKay said | September 25th 2009 @ 10:37am | Report comment
AndyRoo will be appearing all week…
sam.gilbert said | October 2nd 2009 @ 1:44am | Report comment
well done sir. bravo.
Gaz said | September 25th 2009 @ 10:47am | Report comment
I’ll be happy to take calls from India and accept cash payments for any A-League players on my books. I also have a nice little bridge down in Sydney for sale or rent.
India is still a long way off being a danger, but certainly the ME countries are set to cripple us. We need to make some structural changes one way or another.