Chennaiyin, by virtue of their ISL title, will be India’s representatives in the continental club competitions next season. (Source: ISL) Chennaiyin, by virtue of their ISL title, will be India’s representatives in the continental club competitions next season. (Source: ISL)

India’s uniquely bizarre domestic football season, which had two top divisions, concluded on Saturday. The ‘league’ with a ‘final’ had an ending that few had predicted whereas the ‘other’ league produced a finale that no one could have scripted. But at the end of it all, one basic question remains unanswered, however trivial it may sound: Which team should be called India’s champion?

Minerva Punjab won the I-League in the most dramatic of fashions while on Saturday, Chennaiyin upset Bengaluru to lift the ISL trophy. But the ludicrous arrangement between the All India Football Federation, Asian Football Confederation and Football Sports Development Limited, ISL’s promoters, to grant equal status to the two leagues means that both clubs can stake claim to the title of champions when they play in Asia next season.

In all likelihood, this arrangement, which was originally designed for one season, will continue this year as well, since the AIFF is yet to come up with a solution that is acceptable to all. But the procrastination is doing more harm than good to Indian football.

The AFC slots

The biggest question is, are the two best clubs representing the country in Asia? This year’s winners – Minerva and Chennaiyin – will be India’s representatives in the continental club competitions next season. India currently get a slot each for the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup qualifiers. If a team fails to qualify for the Champions League, they automatically get drafted into the AFC Cup.

The level of Indian clubs has still not reached a point where they can make the cut for the continent’s most prestigious club competition so they end up playing in the AFC Cup, where India has a decent track record. To pacify the I-League clubs, the AIFF handed the Champions League qualifier quota to the champions, which in this case are Minerva. Take nothing away from them, but with the budget they have and the quality of players they possess, there are genuine concerns over Minerva’s competitiveness at the Asian level. Aizawl, the winners of last I-League season, are already struggling in Asia. Whether Chennaiyin can hold on to their ISL-winning squad to pose a threat in the AFC Cup remains to be seen.

Calls for VAR

Considering that refereeing has been the talking point all season, it’s fitting in a way that the ISL ended with Bengaluru FC owner Parth Jindal rooting for VAR to be introduced next season after his team found itself at the receiving end of two potentially title-deciding calls. A senior AIFF official said it’s unlikely that the video referral system, which will be used in the World Cup this year, will be introduced in India any time soon due to the high operation cost.

But a solution needs to be found to the increasing number of human errors that overshadowed both ISL and I-League. One of the key reasons for this was referees’ burnout. Since India has just six officials with FIFA badges, they were made to juggle between the two leagues. Generally, referees get a seven-day break between two matches but the increased workload due to simultaneous conduct of the leagues meant most Indian referees did two matches in a week while in some cases. The fatigue, referees claim, played a huge role but the argument did not cut ice with the coaches, who continue to demand foreign coaches. Or like Jindal, the video referral system.

Kolkata trio’s trauma

The most compelling stories came out of, where else, Kolkata. ATK showed you do not have to be an East Bengal or Mohun Bagan to mess up a fine run, a trait painfully familiar for Kolkata-based clubs. That East Bengal and Mohun Bagan finished third and fourth respectively in an I-League season where they seemingly had no competition shows how poorly the two clubs are managed. And ATK are proving to be quick learners. Last year’s champions changed three coaches in a four-month season. They started with Teddy Sheringham, who was sacked after managing just 10 points from 12 games. The Englishman was replaced by his compatriot Ashley Westwood.

The former Bengaluru FC manager was shown the door after just seven games in charge, during which he managed 1 point. Robbie Keane was ultimately handed the reins as a player-manager. He picked himself in his managerial debut against Avram Grant’s North East United, scored the only goal of the match and took home the man-of-the-match award but that did little to redeem ATK’s season.

Coaching conundrum

The Sheringham story is a direct consequence of one of the touchy issues of ISL – hiring of coaches. The league mandates teams to have a marquee manager, meaning someone who has coached or played at a high level. That dilutes the quality sometimes, since top coaches – like players – are hesitant to come to India. So the clubs have often pick a retired player who wants to cut his teeth as a coach, which as Sheringham now, or Nicolas Anelka in the earlier season, showed isn’t the smart way.

Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov’s cryptic social media posts provided an insight into how the player-turned-coaches strategise before the match. Without naming him directly, Berbatov called David James the ‘worst coach ever’ and said the former England goalkeeper’s sagely advice to his players was: “Chip the ball to the striker’s chest and we’ll take it from there.” The hashtag, alas, was Berba’s only contribution to the league where he miserably failed for Kerala Blasters.

It’s not a coincidence that the four teams who made it to the semifinals had people in the backroom with strong knowledge about Indian football – Chennaiyin’s assistant coach Sabir Pasha, Bengaluru had Naushan Moosa to assist Albert Roca, FC Goa had the veteran coach Derrick Pereira and Pune City had Pradhyum Reddy. Despite being integral to their team’s success, these coaches — along with a few others — can not become managers of an ISL club in the future despite having the necessary credentials. It’s a rule that ISL needs to look at, like they did with the concept of marquee players.

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