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The Indian Super League: Destined for EconomicSuccess, or Doomed to Fail?

Posted on October 3, 2014 by India Briefing

Op-Ed Commentary:Samuel WrestNext weekend, India will launc te inau!ural season o" its Indian Su#er $ea!ue %IS$&' (ree years in te makin!, te

IS$ will become te country)s second #ro"essional "ootball lea!ue a"ter te muc*mali!ned I*$ea!ue, but as i!

o#es o" succeedin! in se+eral key areas were te I*$ea!ue as lar!ely "ailed'

Princi#al amon!st te IS$)s ambitions is to loosen te stran!leold tat cricket currently as o+er India)s s#orts

industry and, im#ortantly, become a #ros#erous business model, a "inancial success, and a #otential maor

incenti+e "or "orei!n in+estment in India'

In oter countries, te "ootball industry as certainly sown tat it as te sco#e to acie+e tese !oals' In -n!land,

"or exam#le, te re+enues o" te "ootball industry now "ar outwei! tose o" cricket' In 2012.13, -n!land)s Premier

$ea!ue ad a total re+enue o" /2,4 million com#ared to te a##roximate o+erall /140 million turno+er o" te cricket

industry' (e "inancial o##ortunities o" "ootball in -n!land are underscored by some o" its "ootball clubs, suc as

Swansea ity a club tat !enerated 56 million "or te Wels economy "ollowin! its "irst season in te Premier

$ea!ue' (e maority o" -n!land)s "irst*tier "ootball clubs are owned by "orei!n in+estors, exem#li"yin! te a##eal tat

te industry now as as a business'

(e 7uestion #osed to te IS$ is weter it can emulate te success o" a com#etition like te Premier $ea!ue' Wit a

#o#ulation o" o+er 1'2 billion #eo#le, India ar!uably as te world)s most under*#enetrated "ootball market, and

"urter #ossesses a number o" oter 7ualities tat su!!est te IS$ could indeed be a success' Its demo!ra#ic

di+idend, increasin!ly a""luent middle*class and !rowin! a##etite "or (8 broadcasts o" "orei!n "ootball !ames all #oint

towards te +iability o" te IS$ as a business model'

RELATED: Asias Sports Industry: Singapores Net !a"or #ro$t% !ar&et'

(ere also certainly seems to be a !reat deal o" o#timism witin te IS$ itsel"' (e lea!ue as already attracted a

number o" well*known "ootball names 9 albeit ones wo are #era#s in te twili!t o" teir careers 9 suc as "ormer

elsea and :rance #layer Nicolas ;nelka, "ormer ;rsenal and Sweden #layer :reddie $un!ber!, and "ormer

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India)s media, meanwile, as entusiastically been buildin! u# te start o" te IS$ season, and are a""ordin! te

com#etition "ar more co+era!e tan tey did its I*$ea!ue counter#art' International media is also co+erin! te lea!ue,

lar!ely because o" some o" te names and money in+ol+ed in it' :ormer -n!land international Peter >eid, wo will be

mana!in! ?umbai ity in te u#comin! season, told The Times of Indiatat e o#es te IS$ will el# rid India o" its

"ootball @#oor boy ima!e), wilst Ausal =as, te !eneral secretary o" te ;ll India :ootball :ederation, told te BB

tat "ootball in India is a C!iant tat as "inally woken u#D'

(e o#timism and excitement tat surround te kick*o"" o" te IS$ are, owe+er, ine+itably tin!ed wit reasons "or

caution' Wen lookin! at te IS$, one cannot el# but be reminded o" te inese Su#er $ea!ue %S$&, wic

sares more tan ust a similarity in name wit its Indian e7ui+alent' $ike te IS$, te S$ was earmarked "or

substantial in+estment because o" te +ast unta##ed #otential te inese "ootball market was belie+ed to old, and

tis in+estment was in turn also lar!ely used to attract well*known "orei!n names' Eowe+er, te success o" te S$

was marred by wide*scale corru#tion, wic ne!ati+ely in"luenced te re#utation o" te lea!ue, deterred "urter

in+estment, and caused some o" its i!*#ro"ile stars to lea+e' It seems ironic tat one o" tose +ery stars, Nicolas

;nelka, will be #lyin! is trade in te IS$ next week'

(e exam#le o" te recent World u# in BraFil ser+es as anoter cautionary tale "or te ambitions o" te IS$' In an

e""ort to make te country)s still*de+elo#in! in"rastructure suitable "or "ootball)s #remier tournament, te BraFilian

!o+ernment dis#laced some 1G0,000 #eo#le and used te +acated land "or roads, air#orts, and te reno+ation o"

stadiums' Suc were te ea+y demands tat ostin! a bi! "ootball com#etition resulted in'

$ike ina, India also as a re#utation "or corru#tion witin +arious industries, wic may su!!est tat te "ate wic

be"ell te S$ could also occur in te IS$' ;nd like BraFil, India)s in"rastructure is a lon! way "rom bein! able to ost

bi! "ootballin! e+ents, and any e""ort to ex#edite tat #rocess will likely end wit similar, i" not worse, results "or

India)s bur!eonin! #o#ulation'

Eowe+er, tere a+e been si!ns "rom bot te IS$ and India itsel" tat tis new s#ortin! +enture could be trium#ant'

:irstly, te way in wic te lea!ue is structured seems to be "ar more #iecemeal tan tat o" ina)s S$, wit only

ei!t teams com#etin! in its "irst season and only between October and =ecember' Ausal =as stated tat issues o"

C#ro"it and lossD do not "orm #art o" te IS$)s initial a!enda rater, te em#asis will be on de+elo#ment o" te s#ort'

Secondly, under te new B

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