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As Real Madrid claimed the World Club title, in the process extending their record streak of consecutive wins to 23, bizarrely there were more football fans tuned in to a cricket stadium in Mumbai as the inaugural Indian Super League (ISL) came to a dramatic conclusion.
While Gareth Bale was securing a fourth trophy for Ancelotti’s men in comfortable fashion, fans were focused on two former cricketing teammates who were doing battle as the Sachin Tendulkar-owned Kerala Blasters encountered Sourav Ganguly’s Spanish-influenced Atletico de Kolkata.
The synergies with cricket are impossible to ignore, particularly as a number of the eight franchises are played on cricket pitches, which is possibly why the quality of the football witnessed surpassed the level many thought possible, with some observers claiming it matched the standards witnessed in the second-tier of many European leagues.
The final could not have been a more tense affair, with Kolkata securing the title in the final minute of injury time as substitute Mohammad Rafique slammed home the winner to launch jubilant scenes in true Bollywood fashion.
It had been a relatively even match until that point with Kerala creating more of the better chances. Indeed, Michael Chopra had a chance to win the game for the Blasters 10 minutes earlier only to see his effort saved.
Kolkata’s success was built, in addition to the support received from their partners, Atletico Madrid, on a solid defence consisting of the reliable tackling of Borja Fernandez and safe hands of Apoula Edel Bete who returned his fourth clean sheet of the campaign from only six appearances.
The team that kicked off the tournament way back in October with a 3-0 win over Mumbai was the one that finished it in style.
Both teams were perhaps fortunate to have met in the final having crept into the play-offs at the last minute in a close-fought league. Chennaiyin had topped the league thanks to their aggressive attack, pipping Goa by one point.
However, the top two succumbed in the semi-finals with Chennaiyin unable to overturn a disastrous first-leg 3-0 defeat away in Kochi (Kerala) while Kolkata and Goa played out two 0-0 draws, the ultimate winners gaining passage to the final thanks to a 4-2 penalty shoot-out victory.
While the performance of the highest paid overseas ‘names’ has been criticised, there can be no doubting the impact they have had on viewing figures. Attendances for this five-year joint-venture have been the highest of all domestic football leagues in Asia, averaging 25,000 per match, while the numbers watching worldwide on television had topped 400 million by the midway point (although interest did appear to wane as the league drew on).
The opening match attracted an audience of nearly 75 million, comparable to the World Cup, which drew 87 million viewers for the whole of the first week.
However, while there is certainly the interest, care has to be drawn before drawing conclusions about where priorities lie. The Premier League conducted a roadshow in Mumbai last week and a live broadcast of the match between Manchester United and Liverpool attracted a crowd of over 30,000. Indeed many fans at the ISL chose to show their support of European teams, primarily the top clubs in England.
World Bank research demonstrates that 42 per cent of India’s vast population consider themselves to be football fans with approximately 155 million regularly watching matches from England’s top flight, although this is expected to increase drastically when commentary is added in Hindi.
However, English teams have some catching up to do. Atletico Madrid have reaped the reward from their title-winning partnership with Kolkata while Inter Milan have teamed up with Chennaiyin who have their former player, Marco Materazzi, already in situ as manager. Both clubs are building an academy and are implementing a number of development programmes.
It is this issue of facilities and development that has been a thorny one with Kerala Blaster’s player-coach, David James, particularly critical. While citing ‘massive potential’, he has blasted the ISL for ‘near non-existent’ foundations, also turning on inadequate facilities and a dearth of qualified coaches.
While there may be some accuracy to his comments it is a little harsh on a start-up adventure that has been modelled on the successful cricket equivalent. Most of the investors are taking a long-term approach, believing that the immediate losses are a necessary evil to ensure long-term success. Low ticket prices (Rs150, approximately 900fils) are an indication with attendances comparing favourably with Asian and American markets.
With sponsorship expected to increase next year and investment anticipated from English clubs the future is looking bright. The ‘sleeping giant’, as once described by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, is stirring!
