The deal includes all major AFC national team and club competitions, including but not limited to the final round of the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar, AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022, the AFC Asian Cup China 2023, as well as the annual club competitions, the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup from the 2021 season.

FSDL was established to develop Indian football as the commercial partner of the All India Football Federation, and to operate India’s top tier football league, the Indian Super League. FSDL will be sub-licensing the media rights to partner channels and digital service providers, offering significantly more coverage of the AFC’s competitions on both linear and digital channels in a region where the passion for football has grown exponentially in recent years.

Dato’ Windsor John, the AFC General Secretary, said: “The AFC is delighted to enter into this partnership with FSDL, which represents another decisive step towards increasing the consumption of the AFC’s competitions and confirming football as Asia’s number one sport as outlined in the AFC’s Vision.

“We look forward to working with FSDL in expanding the fanbase of the AFC’s world-class competitions in a region that continues to showcase Asia’s undeniable passion for the game, and we thank them for believing in the future of Asian football.”

Mrs. Nita Ambani, Founder & Chairperson, FSDL said: “This is a hugely significant development for Indian football. To bring Asia’s best footballing action for our fans is a key part of our long-term strategy, commitment, and desire to have as many Indian youths participate, follow, and engage with the sport. I believe the live telecast of AFC competitions to our homes will enable a generation of youth to follow the “beautiful game” and continue to raise and develop the profile of the sport.

“We are fully committed to the development of Indian football and will continue to work with the stakeholders in India, AFC and the FIFA towards building a strong ecosystem.”

Patrick Murphy, Board Member and CEO at Football Marketing Asia, said: “We are excited to welcome FSDL as our valued media partner. FSDL has strong relationships with broadcasters throughout the Indian subcontinent who have the necessary experience and expertise in their local markets to further strengthen the presence of Asian football. We are looking forward to seeing more fans enjoy AFC competitions.”

CREDITS- AIFF MEDIA

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In an exclusive interview, he spoke at length about the AFC being aware of the remarkable progress of football in India over the last decade.

EXCERPTS: The hallmark of India’s performance in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup…

DWJ: India has performed well. The win against Thailand — a first in 55 years in the competition — is testament of the development of football in India. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) deserves credit for its dedication.

Despite the loss against UAE, they (India) showed character and resilience.

Of course it is not easy to compete against a tournament heavyweight on home soil and India were a little unfortunate. I believe they can take great pride with their performance.

Has India been the surprise package of the tournament?
DWJ: India’s performance may have come as a surprise for some but we (AFC) were well aware of the remarkable progress of football in the country since the last decade. The AFC’s vision and mission underlines commitment to provide assistance to member associations. As the second largest football community on the planet, we knew about India’s football potential.

Over the years, we have worked closely with the AIFF to raise the standard of the game through various ‘President Initiatives’ and development programmes. There are signs that the sport is scaling new heights in India.

These include the results of the U-16 team at the AFC U-16 Championship in Malaysia in 2018 (they qualified for the quarter-finals for the first time since 2002). Also, Bengaluru FC, who reached the 2016 AFC Cup final and the Inter Zone final and semifinal in 2017 and 2018 respectively, is a good indicator of the progress of football in India.

When we decided to expand the competition from 16 to 24 teams, the idea was to provide member associations more opportunities against top-class competition. It is good that the decision has made an impact on emerging nations which include the Philippines, Kyrgyz Republic and of course, India.

Citing the example of the India U-16 team what has caused the sudden shift for football in India?
DWJ: Competitions drive development and India’s continued presence in AFC tournaments has been the catalyst for the development of football.

The AFC decided to award the AFC U-16 Championship to India (in 2016) to strengthen their capability of hosting the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup and also give them international match experience and exposure — factors vital for the development of football.

The competition also showcased the passion that exists for football in the country as fans rallied behind the senior India team till the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. We hope that India’s commendable display will accelerate this progress.

Does Sunil Chettri’s recent record (he overtook Lionel Messi as the second highest goalscorer among active players in international football) mean anything for Asian football?
DWJ: Sunil’s record clearly exemplifies his desire and professionalism both on and off the pitch. He has been a proud ambassador for club and country. With two goals in this tournament, he has proven his worth on Asia’s grandest stage.

I am confident that he (Chettri) will serve as an inspiration to aspiring footballers in India and Asia. With hard-work, dedication and a commitment to excellence, Sunil proves that nothing is impossible.

AIFF MEDIA

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Goal.com also noted that it is already decided that an AFC Cup play-offs would be allocated to the winner of Indian Super League (ISL). Meanwhile, AFC has asked the AIFF to finalise a league structure as soon as possible for the upcoming season.

A roundtable meeting was also held by AFC at Kuala Lampur on Wednesday which included representatives of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the Sports Ministry of India, the I-League, and ISL clubs as well as from the world governing body, FIFA, the players’ representatives and the AFC.

The AIFF will decide the format for the short-term and there was an agreement around a roadmap to deliver medium and long-term plans for the game in India through a detailed process.

Dato’ Windsor said: “There was a desire by people, who are extremely passionate about the game, to marry the strengths of both the traditional and the new, which helped in delivering the objectives of the meeting in which the AFC listened to the key stakeholders.

“The objectives were clear; to help provide a roadmap for the future development of Indian football by reaching a consensus on the way forward. It was a significant step forward that there was unanimous agreement that the right structure for the game should be paramount.

“The stated vision of the AFC is to be the number one sport in Asia, and so to achieve that aim Indian football and its development is extremely important. There is no doubt that Indian football has huge potential, and the meeting was convened so that potential could be realised.

“There is a need to find solutions which ensure that Indian football is protected and that there are opportunities for young players, who must not be lost to our game.”

Kushal Das, the AIFF General Secretary, added: “We are grateful to the AFC for facilitating the meeting which is crucial to the development of football in India. We must go through this process to create the best future for the game in our country. In the meantime, we have to decide on the short-term future of the game as soon as possible.”

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The importance of the concept lies not only in the promotion and development of but aiming to lead a healthy lifestyle by adapting the structural process of sports; which leads to overall development of the child. It promotes a healthy lifestyle and fosters positive characteristics as they learn to embrace the spirit of fair play. Grassroots football supports the creation of the best environment for children to play football and to develop and nurture their skills. In Asia, 16.5 million under-5 children are overweight and obese, this number is expected to rise to 23.1 million by 2025. It can be combatted with a healthy and active lifestyle participating in exercise and sport.

On 15th May’2017, numerous organisations stretched their hands towards the betterment of the quality of the game by extending support to sensitive topics like disability football, amateur game and other social norms. AFC President Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa’s message on celebration of AFC Grassroots Day for the fifth consecutive year mentioned “AFC should take immense pride in the fact that participation has increased by around 60% for the second consecutive year to today’s record number of people of all backgrounds and abilities celebrating the AFC Grassroots Football Day.”

“The AFC will continue to assist its Member Associations to implement vibrant and inclusive grassroots activities throughout the continent. Looking ahead, our Grassroots Panel will continue to work closely with our MAs and we will also implement the AFC Grassroots Charter in the coming months.” All India Football Federation (AIFF) with in sync with the AFC grassroots principles implements the change of expanding to all categories, age groups and genders, the expanded concept of Grassroots Football has been divided into various sub-categories – Children’s Football (6-12 years), Youth Football (13-19 years), Amateur Football (20+ years), Veteran’s Football (40+ years).

Grassroots programme initiates exchange of humanitarian values on the ground of sport with taking up campaigns like respecting opponents, Promoting girls football. Football Counter fully supports grassroots football activities as way to engage the future of all fields in healthy engagement of sports and development.

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Over the years, a lot has changed in the world football scenario, Sepp Blatter was banned as FIFA President for 6 years, Germany won the 2014 world cup for the fourth time, Zlatan alone became Superpower like Chuck Norris or Rajnikanth, while in India, ISL was launched and became the fourth most watched league in the world, while the country also earned the rights to host U-17 World cup in 2017.

But despite the positive looking strides, the Indian Football Scenario has been changing for worse. The poor performance of the National team at the World Cup Qualifiers and then with the never-ending controversy of ISL-I league merger has brought in a whole new conundrum for the AIFF to worry about. The Sleeping Giants – AIFF, that was supposed to be waking up has gone back to its slumber.

The ISL-I League issue that had first started as concerns back during its inception regarding which is the board’s first priority, that later boiled down to an unnecessary controversy by its third year. The board’s failure to merge both entities keeping everyone happy has failed resulting into the neglected I-league clubs to write this issue to FIFA and AFC. According to the last update, AFC has appointed its own team to supervise the AIFF’s committee to draw a better road map of Indian football, while FIFA has asked to keep it posted with each update. The year 2017 will be playing a huge factor in deciding the fate of Indian football. A magnificent hosting of U-17 World Cup and a successful merger between the two conflicting leagues will be a huge boost to not just Indian football, but the whole Asian Football. Both FIFA and AFC know the Importance of Indian Audience and what it can bring to their table.

Right now, European Leagues and competitions are watched all around the world, while during the world cups or other International cups, there is no lack of support for South American sides as well. While on the Asian sides, apart from 7-8 countries, there aren’t many opportunities for either the game or sponsors. Indian football being a part of major International competitions by next few years can change the dynamics of the Asian football. A look at the most popular game in India- Cricket will show you how a game can bring a complete set of new Standards, Style and fans, which would be followed by brands and money with it.

During 1960’s Football, Hockey and Cricket all occupied the same space among the Indian Audience or maybe a little more space for hockey. But since 1970, when Indian Cricket team started winning internationally the shift began, with Sunil Gavaskar being the role model for almost all Indians. By the end of 1980’s, Failure of Indian Hockey and Football’s team meant the gap would just increase, while the Indian Cricket team had already won World Cup and World Championships. With the emergence of Sachin Tendulkar in 1990’s along with India’s booming economy power coincided with Cricket taking the number 1 spot in the country’s sports followers list, while football just went the other way. While the rise of Television Industry was the important factor in popularizing the Cricket, Indian Football failed to capitalise the opportunity. Despite coming up with various leagues, the restriction of games popularity within certain places meant Indian football never got to reach its full potentials.

But that could change in the near future, Clubs like Bengaluru FC, DSK Shivajians are investing in the youth setup, while ISL clubs are contracted to start their own U-19 and further youth teams in near future. Importance to a proper youth setup and spreading the game throughout the whole country will help in reigniting the lost passion for the game. Both FIFA and AFC has been patient with the India’s slow growth in this regard and the recent turmoil’s in the Indian football environment has made them take a special interest.

India has managed to change dynamics of any sectors once they have got involved, be it the economy, nuclear power or Cricket, we have always managed to create our own space. Next few months will be a testing period for AIFF to come up with a better solution, while FIFA and AFC will be keeping a tab on it, because nobody would want to underestimates India’s potential 1.2 billion market strength, they would just want to be prepared, for when ‘the Sleeping Giant’ wakes up, Football will have a whole new world to explore.

Thank you and hope it was a good a read for you! Keep following us at www.footballcounter.com, for daily Mumbai Football update and featured articles. Some Sunday specials even! Happy weekend.

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