'Top 8 in Asia? Not even at U-16 level': Let's Talk About Indian Football Ep 2 | Teaser
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3 months ago
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#indiansuperleague #indianfootball SUPPORT MINERVA ACADEMY AT MIC CUP 2026 — BUILDING INDIA’S NEXT FOOTBALL HISTORY. CLICK HERE TO POWER THE DREAM. https://milaap.org/fundraisers/support-minerva-academy-football-club India has millions of football fans, but most are not watching the Indian Super League (ISL). They are watching a league 7,000 miles away. While the rights to broadcast European tournaments in India are worth $40 million, the valuation of the broadcast rights for our domestic club tournament, the Indian Super League (ISL), dropped by 97 percent from last season. Why is there such a mismatch? To unpack this crisis of interest and investment, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri sits down with Ranjit Bajaj, the founder and owner of Minerva Punjab Football Club and a staunch advocate of grassroots football, for the second episode of Let's Talk About: Indian Football. Bajaj argues that the crisis in Indian football is a matter of quality and the talent “pipeline”. He believes Indian football is obsessed with the results of the senior team while ignoring the youth tiers that feed them. “You want to break into the top 8 in Asia,” Bajaj insists. “Are you in the top 8 at the Under-16 level? No? What about Under-19? Still no? Under-23? No again. Then how on earth do you expect to make it in senior football!” He also describes a predatory, petty administrative culture in which funding is treated as a reward for existing success rather than a tool to create it. According to Bajaj, the attitude of administrators is simple: “Can you make the top 8 at the Olympics? Yes, okay, we'll fund you. Can you be a champion or make it to the top 5? Yes, we'll fund you. The rest of you are poor, scram!” Bajaj also highlights the bitter irony of the Indian consumer, admitting that even he is susceptible to the pull of elite quality. He says, “There is a match between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Unfortunately, I'll be watching Barcelona vs Real Madrid and won't be watching my boys. Why?” Help us meet our annual target by March 31: https://rzp.io/l/ba1to8acam Power our election coverage: https://rzp.io/rzp/zTQadhQFFT Unpack story behind bulldozers in Kashi: https://rzp.io/rzp/nl6yv82bk Join the #FightToBreathe: https://rzp.io/rzp/T4Ob0FCb Download the accessible Newslaundry app: https://www.newslaundry.com/download-app Join us on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va61PEo0QeacOqU9vr2k Follow and engage with us on social media: Facebook: https://facebook.com/newslaundry Twitter: https://twitter.com/newslaundry Instagram: https://instagram.com/newslaundry
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