It is a season of change and turbulence in Indian football. The latest news is that Pailan Arrows is being disbanded. Launched with much fanfare three seasons ago as a way of nurturing young talent, this laudable scheme is being terminated for financial reasons. The All India Football Federation is unable to meet the Pailan Group’s terms.
It is learnt that the Pailan Group had asked the AIFF to pay costs for catering and boarding of the players. With AIFF hesitant to bear this expense and Pailan facing a cash crunch, this noble venture has been stalled.
There are other casualties also. Both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have had to slash their budgets for this season, due to the collapse of chit fund companies. For instance the Saradha group, a consortium of companies that is believed to have run a variety of collective investment schemes, collapsed, causing an estimated loss of `20,000 crore, according to media reports.
The company had invested in Mohun Bagan (`1.8 crore in 2010-11) and East Bengal (`3.5 crore since 2010). Both teams had a three year deal with the company as co-sponsors.
Both Bagan and East Bengal, however, will still have the financial support of United Breweries. McDowell and Kingfisher are the official sponsors of these clubs. The liquor company annually provides approximately `12 crore each to these clubs. The Kolkata clubs have pruned their budgets to about `10 crores, Salaries are being cut and are more realistic now. Bagan coach Karim Bencharifa has agreed to a 30 per cent deduction in his salary for this season.
Meanwhile, East Bengal have opted for a Brazilian coach, Marcos Falopa, to replace the popular Trevor Morgan. Brazilian Falopa pipped Argentine Rodolfo Zapata and Dutchman John Van Loen as East Bengal’s coach as he was the least expensive amongst the trio.
Foreign coaches are in vogue amongst I-league clubs. All the four Kolkata clubs have them, Bencharifa (Mohun Bagan), Faloppa (East Bengal), the Dutchman Eelco Schattorie (Prayag United) and Nigerian Abdul Aziz Moshood (Mohammedan Sporting). Pune FC who finished second in the 6th I-League have chosen a Dutch coach Mike Snoei, who has trained Dutch league clubs Vitesse Arnhem and FC Rotterdam.
Derrick Pereira, with Salgaocar, is the only Indian coach amongst the Goa clubs. Armando Colaco’s 13-year-old reign at Dempo has ended and he has been replaced by the Greek-Australian Arthur Papas.
Sporting Clube de Goa are continuing with their Spanish coach Oscar Bruzon Barreras. Reigning I-League champions Churchill Brothers are also searching for a foreign coach, though they have roped in JCT veteran Sukhwinder Singh as technical director.
Khalid Jamil (Mumbai FC) is the only other Indian coach who is likely to continue with his club in next season’s I- league. Both the Shillong clubs, United Sikkim FC and the new franchises Mumbai Tigers and JSW Bangalore are also on the look-out for low-budget foreign coaches.
Despite the financial crunch, Indian coaches are out of fashion. The large number of Indian coaches who have competed their A license exams will now join the ranks of the educated unemployed. Their only hope are I-league 2nd division clubs or with city based franchises in the forthcoming IMG-R league.