Indian football fraternity excited about Sourav-Atletico ISL bid

There is a huge buzz surrounding the joint-bid of Sourav Ganguly and Atletico Madrid for Indian Super League’s Kolkata franchise, according to a TOI report.

Former players and several I-League club officials have shown their support for the former India cricket captain and are convinced that the tie up with Atletico Madrid will help popularise Indian football.

Ex-India goalkeeper Kalyan Chaubey: “When an institution like Atletico Madrid is involved, it’s always a welcome news for Indian football. Moreover, the youngsters need an idol to be identified with a new venture and nobody can be a bigger idol than Sourav Ganguly.”

Former India international and current Mohammedan Sporting striker Dipendu Biswas: “The association of such a big club with Sourav Ganguly is the best thing to happen to Indian football before the Under-17 World Cup in 2017. It cannot get any bigger.”

Mohammedan Sporting president Sultan Ahmed: “The technical know-how and involvement of the coaches of a club like Atletico Madrid is bound of help Indian football. At the same time, I laud Sourav for coming forward. His involvement will be great for football in the country.”

Mohun Bagan finance secretary Debashish Dutta: “Sourav and Atletico Madrid’s involvement, if it happens, will certainly generate a lot of interest and hype. But, we have to know what kind of involvement Atletico will have and, only after the conclusion of the first edition of the tournament, we will be able to say whether that will benefit Indian football in the longer run.”

United Sports Club director Nabab Bhattacharya: “The ISL is a good concept but for Indian football to move forward, the AIFF and clubs must work hand in hand.”