JOVITO LOPES
sports@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: “The AIFF president Praful Patel had announced on August 1, that there will be a meeting next week (August 4-10) with the I-League clubs where it will be explained how the new IMG-R tournament will benefit everyone associated with Indian football. However, a full week has already passed and another week will soon be over and we are still being kept in the dark, knowing nothing about it,” lamented Churchill Bros CEO Valanka Alemao, Tuesday.
“I am not criticizing the AIFF or for that matter our AIFF chief, but only pointing out that the commitment has not been kept up till now. May be he has some good, valid reason or reasons, but what is important is to keep up the word or if there is a change courtesy demands that one should be informed and also to allay fears that there is no transparency in the working thus reinforcing the views that everything is highly secretive right from the very start. As such one will realise who is creating apprehensions and fears and it is no good to say that there is a scuffle between IMG-Reliance and the clubs,” asserted Valanka.
Valanka reminded that Patel had asked for a meeting to be held next week (from August 1) wherein the marketing plan for the I-League will be shared by IMG-Reliance in the presence of six AIFF officials, vice-presidents Subrata Dutta, Larsing Ming, Shrinivas Dempo, K Mather, Kushal Das and Sunando Dhar. “The suspense gets worse with each passing day,” commented Valanka who highlighted that it is necessary for all the stakeholders to be one the same page and moreover make the clubs feel these are also partners in football development in India, even if a new, untested partner has now been found.
“It is very sad that the IMG-R tournament plan is not coming out in the open. One understands that representatives from IMG-R who attended the AIFF meeting on August 1 in New Delhi had made a presentation about the newly proposed IMG-R tournament which is scheduled to kick-off in January 2014. The Marketing Partner of AIFF presented a detailed progress plan on the new tournament as part one of the agenda of the meeting. One is told that in its presentation, IMG-Reliance shared their new tournament’s objectives, structure and implementation. The details of the Franchise Auction including guidelines, obligations and building process were also shared with the committee. IMG-Reliance, one understands, also gave an update on the players signed, venue booking for the tournament and their plans on stadium refurbishment. But where are the details. Why are these not shared with the clubs and the football fans and the public at large? What’s the big secrecy. Is it incorrect or illegal or irrelevant to seek relevant and pertinent answers?” questioned Valanka.
“I have been told that our GFA president and AIFF vice-president Shrinivas V Dempo had raised the concern that there was a perception in the market of the I-League getting step-motherly treatment with the new tournament set to roll. That is as it should be. Kudos to Dempo. However, before anyone could say anything, Patel was quick to state that the I-League was the most important competition in the country and shall remain so. This is the refrain now going on for so many years. So, naturally, the clubs need to know what exactly is being done in that direction. But again there is absolute silence. The success of any management is communication, but for the past 13 days, the channels are paralysed or so it seems,” averred Valanka, who insisted that the clubs are all for cooperation and not confrontation as is being made out unnecessarily and without any basis.
Valanka, who emphasised that she was speaking in her personal and individual capacity, said that overall the clubs are eagerly waiting for the meeting and that dialogue is crucial since Patel also believes that all stakeholders need to work together in strengthening Indian football. To this effect she pointed out that IMG-Reliance had confirmed to the Executive Committee that a detailed promotional plan for the 2013-14 I-League will be communicated to AIFF which can be shared with the clubs. The question naturally is when. At this rate, there is no participatory approach, no dialogue and everything is just one-sided. “If someone thinks or unfairly labels that one is not pro-AIFF, it does not necessarily means that one is anti-AIFF, for there is the third side (of the coin) which is independent and neutral.”
“The AIFF Executive Committee had also asked the stakeholders including I-League Clubs and IMG-Reliance to discuss matters pertaining to players loaning for the new tournament. The obvious question is when and how,” said Valanka.
It may be recalled that it was Patel who had hit out at the clubs and mentioned that they need to be far more responsible before being critical of the federation and their commercial partners. He had added that they weren’t doing enough to promote the sport and raise the value of the I-League as a product with fans not turning up in numbers for the games. Of course, the AIFF is his ship, and he is the supreme captain. In such a situation one is reminded about my ship, my orders. All others are orderlies.
