Like any Indian football follower, Dr. Prabhakaran is very excited about the start of the I-League. He feels that the addition of two more teams this term will make the league more interesting.
Speaking to Goal.com he said, “The league is going to be more competitive this time. The addition of two more clubs will not only increase the number of matches but also the competition.
“Last season both the title and relegation were decided on the last round so a similar situation this term also will make it very interesting.
“I am really looking forward to the start and I hope this season is even better than the last.”
He was not willingly to give clear names when asked about favourites for the title and relegation. But he stressed the importance of squad depth at both sides of the table.
“It’s difficult to predict the winners and losers this early. The opening few rounds will give us an indication but it can all change over the course of the season.
“In the end it will come down to the depth in squads. I think teams like Churchill, Mohun Bagan, Dempo, Mahindra have big squads so they will be close to the title.
“Squad depth alone is of course not enough but it becomes vital in case of injuries and suspensions. So the teams which don’t have the players to last the season will struggle.”
This season each club is allowed four foreigners (one Asian included) and a PIO (Player of Indian origin) so that effectively makes half of the eleven if a team wishes to play all five together.
Mr. Prabhakaran feels that possibility will certainly make it difficult for Indian players to perform but the ones who do make a name for themselves in spite of so much competition will definitely catch the eye of national team coach Bob Houghton.
“Personally I don’t like the inclusion of so many foreigners. But that is a rule made by AFC so we have to respect that.
“It will be more difficult for Indian players because coaches will prefer to play foreigners even though not all are better than the Indian lads.
“Still I would encourage all the Indian players especially the youngsters to keep believing and perform well whenever they get the chance. Consistency over the course of the season in spite of so much competition for places will surely impress Mr. Houghton.”
He also gave his thoughts on the use of artificial clubs and the role of clubs off the pitch.
“Artificial turfs are certainly an interesting innovation, but I personally don’t like it. If artificial turfs were so good then big European clubs wouldn’t have spent so much on their natural pitches.
“All around the world the artificial turf is used during emergency weather conditions and not always because it can cause injuries to players. So I am not in favour of using it all the time.
“Performances on the pitch is not enough for clubs. They should promote their clubs as brands and do every possible thing to be successful off the pitch.
“Many clubs have already started doing that by enlarging their fan base, merchandising but this should happen on a larger scale.
“Once every team starts doing that, the league will be more professional and once your domestic setup is that strong, automatically the national team gets benefited,” he concluded.
Source: Goal.com
From the archive. First published on footballkerala.com on Friday 2 October 2009, restored from the site's 2012 database. Text as originally published.