Indian Super League and the Future of Football

Indian Super League(ISL) wrapped up its league stage on Sunday. Mumbai City FC(MCFC) just edged past the ATK Mohun Bagan(ATKMB) on the last matchday with a 2-0 Victory getting level on points and winning the league shield on goal difference. Roy Krishna, the leading scorer from ATKMB, did not have his shooting boots on in their last encounter with MCFC, But Ahmed Jahouh of MCFC, who has been exceptional this season with his passing, did not disappoint on the final day and put the MCFC in the lead early in the match with his sublime long ball in the box which was effortlessly headed into the net by Mourtada Fall and the goal by Ogbeche in the 39th minute sealed their place in the AFC Champions League. Although ATKMB still has the chance to get their hands on some silverware by winning the ISL trophy.

The 7th season(2020-21) of the ISL was the first major tournament in India since the Covid-19 Lockdown. All India Football Federation(AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited(FSDL) did a great job organizing it. They selected 3 venues in Goa and scheduled the matches as per the covid-19 guidelines.

ISL has come a long way since its inception in 2014; it started with 8 teams and has now expanded to 11 teams. The league, which is now considered the top league, is toppling I-League in India. It is actually an amalgamation of the league system and the knockout system. The ten teams fight to qualify for the two-legged semi-finals, and the knockout phase decides the season's champion. Football fans say that ISL has been like a renaissance of Indian football. No other football tournament in India has managed to get this level of viewership(3.42 Billion). Before the 2017–18 season, the league was not recognized officially by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the football governing body in Asia. So for the first three seasons, no ISL team was eligible to participate in the Asian competition. However, in June 2017, it was announced that the AFC, along with FIFA, would recognize the Indian Super League and allow clubs to participate in the AFC Cup starting in 2019. In March 2018, Chennaiyin became the first ISL side to qualify for the AFC Cup directly through the league. They qualified for the 2019 edition after winning the 2018 ISL final.

The AFC proposed a roadmap in 2017 for Indian football, which the AIFF and FSDL later accepted. It was after this proposal ISL became the 1st division and I-League, the 2nd. It's a 6-year roadmap that leads to a full-fledged league season in 2024-25, which is a long time from now. Next season will be more exciting as one more team would be added to the Indian Super League.