Bachchan Junior named co-owner of Chennai franchise
Mumbai: The cash-rich Indian Super League, the first of its kind in Indian football, on Thursday unveiled its championship logo in a glittering ceremony attended by whose-who of India’s sports and glamour industry.
India’s greatest ever cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and Bollywood’s current hearthrob Ranbir Kapoor were present as one certainly expects a new dawn in Indian football at a time when the national team is languishing at below 160 in FIFA rankings.
While lyricist Prasoon Joshi has penned the theme song, 100 crore bharatiyon ko do post ke beech laana hain, the likes of John Abraham, Varun Dhawan and Abhishek Bachchan’s presence also added glamour to the event. Bachchan junior and Abraham, incidentally are also co-owners of Chennai and North East franchises respectively while Dhawan has stakes in the Goa franchise.
As a show of strength behind the Hero Indian Super League, Nita Ambani, founding chairperson, Football Sports Development led the eight League Partners to a pledge – committing to the League’s vision in bring a footballing revolution across the country.
‘Let’s football’ – the League’s official line is an apt fit to its ambition in connecting with today’s youth and creating interest in millions to play the sport professionally.
The emblem with hexagons combined to form a football symbolises collaboration of passion, energy and enthusiasm among its stakeholders.
Speaking on the occasion, Ambani said,”It’s a momentous day for us as we set ourselves in building a grand coalition among all stakeholders to develop football in the country and take it to its deserving space in the Indian sports.
“ISL hope to act as a foundation in creating an eco-system to nurture talent and make our own national football heroes, through its ambitious grassroots development program,” she added.
Addressing the gathering, Tendulkar said he was a supporter of not only football but all Indian sports and wanted India to become ‘the fittest and healthiest country’ in the world.
“Cricket or football, I will support all sports and all Indian sportspersons. I want it to be sports for all. As a sportsman who played for 25 years, I know sports teaches to compete in the right spirit, teaches you to get up after facing hurdles. I want all the teams to compete hard on the field and be friends off it,” said the cricket great.
“I want India to be the fittest and healthiest country in the world. This (ISL) is a very good thing to happen to Indian football and its extremely important for everyone to make the best use of this platform,” he added.
Commenting on the official launch of the league, Sanjay Gupta, (COO) Star India, said, “Football is much more than a sport. It is an international phenomenon. And yet, India as a country has not joined this global community.
“Which is why, today marks a historic turning point for the future of football in this country. With the launch of the Hero Indian Super League we take our first steps to join the world community. This I believe is the birth of a footballing nation.”
“We plan to attract and nurture the best of Indian talent to play with marquee players selected from 20 countries, spanning 5 continents. What you will experience is a world-class spectacle – in stadia, on television, on your mobile screen and across all digital devices,” further added Gupta
Andy Knee, (VP, Football) at IMG, said, “We are delighted to mark the official launch of the Hero Indian Super League. The potential for football in India is truly immense, and the ambition for the League is to spark a revolution for the game in this great country to encourage tens, even hundreds of millions of Indians to start playing, following and watching the sport.”
AIFF’s senior vice-president Subrata Dutta said, “There is a sense of positivity in the manner IMG-Reliance have been relentlessly promoting the event, which is the order of the day. I feel the day is not far, when we will hear good things about Indian football courtesy, this Indian Super League (ISL). Today’s function gave a vibe that we are in the right direction,” he said.
The ISL will featire world class players like Alessandro Del Piero, David James, Joan Capdevilla, David Trezeguet, Luis Garcia, Robert Pires, Freddy Ljunberg and Manuel Friedrich.
The eight franchise outfits are: Kerala Blasters, Team Mumbai, Team Chennai, Delhi Dynamos, Northeast United, FC Pune City, FC Goa and Athletico de Kolkata. (PTI)