Mallya flays AIFF functioning

Indian Premier Football Association president Vijay Mallya on Tuesday came down heavily on the All India Football Federation, saying it lacks 'strategy' to better the standard of the game, and threatened "drastic measures" if the situation does not look up by the next edition of the National League.

The chairman of the United Breweries Group, which sponsors India's glamour football clubs East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, also sharply criticised the AIFF for its 'inability' to rope in sponsors and 'failure' to organise television coverage for the game.

"If things continue the way they are now, I don't see any great future for football in our country. The clubs will be there, but sponsors will keep themselves away," Mallya told a press conference in Calcutta.

"Coverage of football needs to improve. But why should the sponsors come when the AIFF has no strategy for the game?" he asked.

Virtually throwing a challenge to the AIFF, of which he himself is one of the vice-presidents, Mallya said the IPFA, formed by the country's leading clubs, is not interested in getting recognition from the country's apex soccer regulatory body.

"We are not a union. And so we neither care for nor want AIFF's recognition, though we hear this unfortunate argument as to whether we have been recognised by the AIFF," he said.

Asserting that the IPFA has no intention other than developing the game for which it is doing its best, he urged the AIFF to hand over the job of bringing sponsors to it.

He castigated the AIFF's policy of floating tenders for sponsorship bids. "This system must be done away with. After all, this is not a government tender," he said.

Mallya regretted the lack of soccer coverage on television and suggested that matches in national level soccer tournaments be held late in the evening.

"Who is going to watch matches played mid-afternoon? And the game can get a big exposure only if it has a huge viewership. And then only sponsors will come," declared.

Alleging that the AIFF is unable to look at the matter from the advertisers' perspective, Mallya said it is the prime reason for the game attracting only Rs 20 crore worth of corporate sponsorship.

The UB chief also complained that the AIFF also failed to empathise with the clubs' predicament when top footballers were suddenly called to national coaching camps.

"Of course, national interest should be supreme. But if professionals for whom we pay exorbitant amounts are picked for camps suddenly, then all our plans go haywire," he said.

Suggesting that national camps be organised as per a pre-decided schedule, Mallya said the IPFA had submitted a set of suggestions to the AIFF for improving the organisation of the National Football League.

"The coming sixth NFL will be a test. If things do not improve, we will be forced to take drastic measures," he said.