Indian Super League: Come on India! Lets football!

Languishing at a rank of 158 in the FIFA rankings, India is nowhere near to playing in the FIFA World Cup.

But when the much-anticipated Indian Super League takes off on 12^th October, the whole nation would be glued to watch football like never before. The ISL is of course expected to be a game-changer in the history of football in India. The i-league has long failed to deliver its prime goal: attract people to football. So, here finally arrives the ISL. But does ISL have in it, which can make football grow in our country? Can the association of celebrities bring about the interests of people in football? Will my dream to see India in the FIFA World Cup be at least fulfilled in this lifetime? These are the questions which would be in my mind come the start of ISL, with a view that there would be finally a club from my own city, for whom I would be rooting for!

.

Like Martin Luther King Junior, I too have a dream. A dream to see India playing in the FIFA World Cup. A dream to see the tricolor flying high in the biggest football extravaganza in the world. A dream, which I thought would never be fulfilled during this life. But the announcement of a football league, based on the grounds of the successful IPL finally gave a faint expectation and life to my dream. The dream looks set for a new lease of life. The dream seems to be achieved, at least before my last breath. Being a football fan, I always had to be content by being a neutral while watching FIFA World Cup matches, which I do hope changes when I am old enough to be a grandfather. Even in the club scenario, I am a die-hard Manchester United fan but the club is obviously based in Manchester, England and I am an Indian. So, other than the intense emotional attachment and the love and passion I have towards the club, I do not have any ethical connection with it. Now, with a club based in my own city, playing in the ISL, namely the Guwahati based North-East United FC, I can now boast about a club from my own hometown. Let me say that the least thought of visiting a stadium and watching a live football match, involving Indian clubs would be a special treat for Indian football fans like me. Imagine the kind of atmosphere which we witness on TV in a Premier League match or a Champions League match, being experienced in real, sitting inside a stadium and cheering for our club. Even the thought has made me jump with joy. So, when the Del Pieros, the Capedevillas and the Materazzis start their journey in Indian football, a new chapter of Indian football would be written. With the advertisements and publicity of ISL on full force, there is already a big buzz amongst Indians, who are generally baptized by the word ‘cricket’, and it is expected that people would start to love this beautiful game as equally as the same-old cricket. By witnessing the advent of a football revolution in the country, I too am part of a history, including you. So, once again before I sign off, I can surely say:

“Come on India, lets football!!”