Could Shahrukh Khan be the saviour of Indian football?

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...

VIDEO: Srinivas Dempo speaks about Shahrukh Khan's interest

Dempo SC chairman Srinivas Dempo speaks on Goan TV channel Goa365 about his football team and the interest from Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan. What makes this interview so interesting is the fact that Srinivas Dempo highlights that the deal is not as close as others in the media have reported and that details would have to be worked out. So lets wait and see what happens...

Shahrukh Khan to buy 50% Dempo SC stake?

Bollywood Superstar Shahrukh Khan after finally winning Cricket's Indian Premier League title with his franchise the Kolkata Knight Riders last Sunday could now be on the verge of buying a 50% stake in Indian football club Dempo SC. The rumour has been doing rounds for a few days, but now after the Economic Times went public with the story earlier today there have been numerous reports across the Indian media and large interest about this on social media too.

Shahrukh Khan is said to be interested to buy a 50% stake in Goan football team Dempo Sports Clubs for Rs 300 Million (30 crores), but he is not the only interested party in the stake as Dempo secretary-cum-coach Armando Colaco told IANS, "Shah Rukh has shown interest in Dempo. Talks are still going on and it will take some time to finalise the deal. The modalities are yet to be worked out."

Dempo SC are currently the most successful Indian football club having won five of the last eight I-League/NFL titles, their chairman Srinivas Dempo along with the people running the club have had a vision to professionalize things at the club over the last 10 to 12 years.

Last year Dempo bought a 34% stake in Danish Superliga side FC Midtjylland for 12 Million Euros to get technical know-how and create an avenue for talented Indian footballers into Europe. Further Dempo's are considering plans to rename the club after their home town of Panaji to create a bigger connect besides working on plans for an own stadium and training facilities.

If Shahrukh came on board it would not only help Dempo SC to grow as a brand, but Indian football as a whole then someone with the stature of Shahrukh would ensure extensive media coverage and surely he would work towards co-operation between Dempo SC and KKR.

But all this is future talk, first a deal needs to be struck and then signed between Dempo's and Shahrukh before all work can start then numerous Bollywood celebrities have shown interest in Indian football over the last few years, but nothing ever happened in the end.

This brings me back to something Shahrukh Khan had told me in 2004 post a press conference in Düsseldorf, Germany that he one day would surely invest in Indian football, then football besides hockey is close to his heart but sometimes decisions have to be taken from a business angle rather then an emotional connect. If he does buy a stake in Dempo's then all he said eight years ago would come true...