When Alessandro Del Piero arrived at Kingsford Smith Airport in 2012, the marquee signing was given a hero’s welcome by Sydney FC fans, energising the A-League.
Over the weekend, that famous scene was finally outdone by a tattooed showman, his Scottish accent peppered with ocker rhetoric.
Enter Jason Cummings, the former Central Coast champion, marching through an Indian airport, having been bought by Mohun Bagan. Did you see the video?
Although the social media clip was only nine seconds long, it gave an insight into the growing fanaticism that is the Indian Super League.
Here were dozens of keen supporters, cheering at 3am, adorned in green and maroon, happily awake for their idol in the middle of the night.
“And the army was there too,” I typed into WhatsApp, providing the link to a few round-ball mates. “Literally.”
The defence force? I had to rewatch the clip again, just to be certain. Clearly these were robust men, dressed in camouflaged gear, providing protection to India’s newest rock star.
This would never happen in the A-League, I thought to myself. Not anymore. How popular is the game overseas?
For perspective, Central Coast have more than 80,000 Facebook followers. Not bad for a regional team. In comparison, Mohun Bagan have generated over 1 million.
Three weeks ago, the Mariners uploaded a thank you video to YouTube, celebrating Cummings’ success in the A-League. Nearly all of the attached comments were from Indian fans, many typing heartfelt messages, mentioning sincere “joy”.
A few of those same people expressed a nice coincidence, as the Indian club is also nicknamed the Mariners. “Don’t worry,” one reassuring fan uploaded, “he’s still a Mariner.”
Included in the Australian exodus overseas, a scan of last season’s roster shows two former Western Sydney faces, Dimitri Petratos and Brendan Hamill, who also play for Mohun Bagan.
In Australia, we celebrate nearly 20 wonderful years of the A-League. Past the Bay of Bengal, however, Mohun Bagan’s been operating since 1889, far longer than any professional club Down Under.
It’s a distinguished figure, even enviable, especially to clubs such as Western United or Macarthur.
In the long term, will Cumming’s move be value for money? His presence in India could be seen as a metaphor for growth, much like Alessandro Del Piero’s famous stay with Sydney FC.
After the Italian maestro joined the Sky Blues, patronage jumped significantly, soaring to over 18,000 (up from 11,000 the previous season).
If the Socceroo maintains his high goal ratio, anything is possible for Cummings. He was nicknamed after a canine in Scotland, and a dingo in Australia. What fresh pseudonyms await him in India?
Nick
Roar Rookie
You've clearly never watched an SPL match.
Nick
Roar Rookie
It's sad you think I'm that Grand PJs... Remind me, because you still haven't answered: how often do hosts drop points in opening games? As a football fan, I'm sure you can answer that
Brendan
Roar Pro
I should point out, the Indian Super League has been running for half the amount of time as the A-League (both have 12 clubs). Judging by a few ISL forums, Mohun Bagan FC believes they have the potential to be one of the biggest clubs in Asia. Looking back, I honestly think Sydney FC were on track for similar glory, but a few A-League issues stalled that dream. As for cricket being the dominant code in India. That’s undeniable. They are world class cricketers.
Brendan
Roar Pro
Valid points. Pete Kunz writes about India’s barefoot football in “Chronicles of Soccer in Australia”. There’s some fascinating stories in his book, some which I’ve touched on in past articles.
Brendan
Roar Pro
We’d have to honestly ask Arnold. I rate most leagues. CCM’s Moresche came from Singapore, & he ended up scoring the final goal in the A-League Grand Final. Meaning, there are gems out there to be found, regardless of one’s football past.
Brendan
Roar Pro
Thankfully we’ll all be content once the Matilda’s make it through to the next stage.
chris1
Roar Rookie
Grem it’s hilarious watching Grand PJ’s lashing out like this. I think he’s having a rough day/week/month ????
Megeng
Roar Rookie
It's the Soceroos not the Wallabies
Grem
Roar Rookie
“Look forward to see you hopping on Indian sport forums railing about how pro-cricket the government is, and conspiracy theories allowed to rampant, and suggesting all the 1.3b cricket fans there are insular and deluded.” I agree about the lower standards in those leagues, but I know this poster - Grand Panjandrum. GP, Nick, etc is just stirring the pot.
David Shilovsky
Expert
Grem, Nick isn't wrong on this one. If you're staying in Asia but not going to Japan or Korea, you're going backwards from a football perspective - you can't refute that.
Grem
Roar Rookie
I am allowing for substitutions. I could have added Vukovic as well and I realise you can’t play 2 goalkeepers! They have developed some great talent over the years is the point I was making.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
A backline with three center back, even if the other two are wingbacks you have 5 attacking players, and 2 of those are 9's.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Football in India has always been big, they used to play barefoot and were disqualified from a world cup for wanting to play barefoot. US NFL does have barefoot kickers which is the safest position to play in NFL but playing against people with studs would be a lot of trouble, and the other issue if your playing in a cold place freezing your feet.
Grem
Roar Rookie
Did you look up the word sanctimonious? You should.
Grem
Roar Rookie
You are a sad, sad man. Provoking again.
Grem
Roar Rookie
He is such a loss to the A Leagues. A personality and a very good player. I know our competition, fed by the most participants of any sport in our country, will continue to produce and find talent, but imagine if we could hang on to some of them a bit longer. Imagine the Central Coast with a backline of Farrell, Triantis, Rowles, Miller, Kaltek, Sainsbury, etc and a forward line with Cummings, Tulio, Silvera and both Kuol brothers. Perhaps Matty Ryan in goals as well. That’s a reasonable squad.
Nick
Roar Rookie
It depends how Graham Arnold views the Indian Premier League. I bet the same way he views all leagues in South and SE Asia: with righteous disdain.
Nick
Roar Rookie
Look forward to see you hopping on Indian sport forums railing about how pro-cricket the government is, and conspiracy theories allowed to rampant, and suggesting all the 1.3b cricket fans there are insular and deluded. "Obviously India wants to be part of the biggest game and be competitive" Are you saying there was a time when they didn't? Have you ever been to India? Evidently not. They have been as football mad as they've been cricket mad for decades.
Brendan
Roar Pro
That’s certainly a consideration. It depends how Graham Arnold views the Indian Premier League. Goals are currency, & I’m happy for Cummings to continue his Socceroos journey, depending on his Mohun Bagan statistics.
Brendan
Roar Pro
Cumming’s reception was phenomenal. He’s certainly not in Terrigal anymore. An exciting career move, but one with limited anonymity, as his expectations to perform are huge. He’s a fully-fledged Indian celebrity now, & still one of my favourite football personalities.