Indian super cup 2018: Bengaluru FC CEO Parth Jindal criticises AIFF over scanty prize money

What’s the story?

The much anticipated Super Cup, which commenced after the culmination of the I-League and ISL is currently in full flow with the quarter-final stage starting from today.

However what comes as a surprise is the performance and character shown by the I-League clubs as compared to their ISL counterparts. And the results speak for itself, with as many as 5 I-league teams qualifying for the quarter-final stage.

Speaking on the same lines, Bengaluru FC’s CEO Parth Jindal also highlighted the differences and put out a series of Tweets to air his views.

In case you did not know

The competition which pits the ISL teams with I-League sides garnered a lot of attention during its conception. However, the lack of tangible rewards and no provision for the champion to get an AFC Cup playoff spot has hit the stature of the tournament badly.

The heart of the matter

With comparatively fewer rewards, there is a school of thought which believes that not all ISL clubs are taking the tournament seriously. However, the beauty comes from what the I-League clubs bring to the table.

This particular development has been widely debated upon as I-League clubs, perceived to have lesser quality, have dominated the Super Cup. But Bengaluru FC's CEO Parth Jindal has hit out at a lack of substantial prize money and a continental tournament spot, which he feels has contributed for a lack of desire among the ISL teams to compete in the tournament.

BFC, who made the change from I-League to ISL ahead of the last season is amongst the 3 ISL teams to still stay alive in the Super Cup so far. Jindal further added that the inconspicuous rewards won't affect the team's preparations as they aim to go all guns blazing in the next round fixtures.

You can see his Tweets below

Only 3 ISL teams in the QF of the Indian Super Cup, kudos to the @ILeagueOfficial teams for making it to the QF - in all the matches it was very evident who had the desire. We are different - we are @bengalurufc and we will give it our 200% to win but I urge the AIFF
— Parth Jindal (@ParthJindal11) April 6, 2018

To play the matches during the regular season and not after it and also to play in a format similar to the FA Cup and give the winners an AFC Cup slot like the Federation Cup - then all teams will give it their all and fans will have a much better experience
— Parth Jindal (@ParthJindal11) April 6, 2018

Also urge the AIFF and IMGR to have a re look at the prize money for the Super Cup - creating such a wide difference between the ISL prize money, the I League prize money and the Super Cup prize money does not give the tournament its due importance
— Parth Jindal (@ParthJindal11) April 6, 2018

What’s next?

The quarter-finals of the inaugural Super Cup in Bhubaneswar will commence from tonight and it remains to be seen if the remaining ISL teams can garner a turnaround in their fortunes.

Author’s take

It's only the flagship edition of the tournament and better changes can be expected to come in the forthcoming seasons.