Since last week when for the first time the news came out that Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan is in talks with I-League champions Dempo SC to buy a 50% stake in the Goan giants there has been a lot of talk about what Shahrukh Khan's foray into Indian football could mean for the beautiful game in India.
If one just has a look at the media coverage, the buzz on social media and the interest people took in this story then it shows that if someone of the stature of Shahrukh Khan got actively involved in Indian club football it could give the game a push in the right direction, it would surely draw more media attention to the I-League and its clubs.
But many see Shahrukh Khan as a potential messiahs or somewhat of a saviour for Indian football, who would usher in a new era; a more commercially viable era in Indian club football is what the owners hope for. If one looks at Shahrukh Khan's Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders then commercial success has been a forte of KKR, but it had only some influence on the IPL as a whole which in the midterm has been anything but profitable overall for the franchises.
Surely Shahrukh Khan coming in would mean a lot of attention, potential sponsors and investors would look up and maybe join in, but from my talks with different people in the business I know many are sceptical of the current situation, while some are honestly worried. These people want financial benefits, return on investments rather then a good show which Bollywood and its glitz stands for.
But there lies the difficulty of the I-League and Indian club football. This difficult balancing act is something the people in-charge need to understand and use this opportunity of maybe having Shahrukh Khan as a co-owner to push the I-League into a direction where commercial entities see a value of sponsoring India's premier football league and TV channels fight over the rights to broadcast it.
Only then can the I-League move ahead into a better future...
If one just has a look at the media coverage, the buzz on social media and the interest people took in this story then it shows that if someone of the stature of Shahrukh Khan got actively involved in Indian club football it could give the game a push in the right direction, it would surely draw more media attention to the I-League and its clubs.
But many see Shahrukh Khan as a potential messiahs or somewhat of a saviour for Indian football, who would usher in a new era; a more commercially viable era in Indian club football is what the owners hope for. If one looks at Shahrukh Khan's Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders then commercial success has been a forte of KKR, but it had only some influence on the IPL as a whole which in the midterm has been anything but profitable overall for the franchises.
Surely Shahrukh Khan coming in would mean a lot of attention, potential sponsors and investors would look up and maybe join in, but from my talks with different people in the business I know many are sceptical of the current situation, while some are honestly worried. These people want financial benefits, return on investments rather then a good show which Bollywood and its glitz stands for.
But there lies the difficulty of the I-League and Indian club football. This difficult balancing act is something the people in-charge need to understand and use this opportunity of maybe having Shahrukh Khan as a co-owner to push the I-League into a direction where commercial entities see a value of sponsoring India's premier football league and TV channels fight over the rights to broadcast it.
Only then can the I-League move ahead into a better future...
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