KOCHI: The football landscape in Kerala, buoyed by its fervent fan base and a reservoir of talent, is set to see a new dawn with the advent of the Super League Kerala (SLK), organised by the state football association in partnership with Unified Football Sports Development Pvt Ltd.
With six inaugural teams and matches at four venues spread across the state, this men’s franchise football league is, in the words of Kerala Football Association (KFA) president Navas Meeran, “expected to bring the same fervour and excitement as what football fans get to experience in Latin America and Europe”.
A glance at the list of team owners is enough to quash any doubts regarding the scale of the league. It comprises big names such as Mahesh Bhupathi; Gowri Lakshmi Bayi, a member of the erstwhile Travancore royal family; Kaz Patafta, a former Benfica player and chairman of Australian club Brisbane Roar FC, and the who’s who of the corporate world.
Football commentator Sreenadh Madhukumar, who had a ringside view of the recent franchisee unveiling ceremony, attests to the league’s organisational prowess. “The inauguration ceremony was amazing and touched the same standards as the Indian Premier League,” he gushes.
“I have a very positive impression about the SLK. The organisers have already given us signs that they will market this product well.”
But could holding an event well translate to being able to hold and manage football tournaments? Will the league help nurture more local talent? Only time will tell. But ‘any football is good football, and more is certainly great’ seems to be the logic that pundits swear by.
Each team will comprise four foreign players, besides young and talented players from both Kerala and other states. According to an SLK statement, “at least 100 players from the state will be part of the league”.
Sreenadh points out that grassroots-level development needn’t be the main focus of the SLK now as there are already a plethora of initiatives steered by the KFA and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to facilitate this. His only concern is timing.
“The SLK games will likely overlap with the Indian Super League (ISL) and the KFA’s own Kerala Premier League (KPL),” he says. “But I believe this won’t be a problem as SLK will most definitely ‘glam up’ to catch its own audience.”
The Super League is slated to commence in September and will last 45-60 days. However, Navas assures that “the league will be designed in such a way that fixtures don’t clash with the games of ISL and I-League”.
Football enthusiast Unni Paravannur dismisses concerns of overlapping. “Kerala Blasters, the only ISL team from Kerala, has already built a dedicated fan base for their team. SLK will not affect their following,” he says.
“The same holds true the other way as well. Rather than ISL being a deterrent for SLK, it might well augment it as the latter can ride the Manjappada wave for better reach and TV presence.”
Notably, the T’Puram Kombans FC and the Kochi Pipers FC will share the Nehru Stadium in Kaloor with the Kerala Blasters as their home base. “The Kannur and Kozhikode teams will use the EMS Corporation Stadium, while Malappuram and Thrissur will play their home matches in Manjeri,” says Mathew Joseph, CEO of SLK.
Unni laments that the football infrastructure in the state, despite its longstanding passion for the game, is not comparable with other states such as West Bengal or Odisha. “That’s why we don’t get to see the Indian national team play in Kerala,” he says.
One of the persistent concerns raised by the Greater Cochin Development Authority, which manages the Nehru Stadium, is the lack of matches. While SLK is certain to soothe this ache to some extent with its fixtures, Unni maintains that it’s not a ‘win’, as most take it, for Kaloor stadium.
“More football is good, but whether that will actually translate to any credible work on refurbishment of the infrastructure remains to be seen,” he adds.
Unni, however, remains optimistic about SLK’s prospects. “Just as how ISL positively impacted how football is showcased to the audience, this league, too, will raise the profile of Kerala football,” he says.
Injecting money into football is indeed beneficial, but the decision to set up a new league instead of integrating with the Kerala Premier League (KPL), the association’s own league and officially recognised by AIFF, puzzles Krishnan G, who hosts the ‘God’s Own Football’ podcast.
“The current leadership won the election to the KFA super body promising to introduce this league. They could have done so in KPL itself. Instead, they went for something entirely new,” he notes.
“The trouble or the challenge now would be how to link these extra clubs or franchises to the existing structure. We can only wait and watch.”
Another struggle for the KPL teams is that the talent quality available for them will go down as SLK takes precedence. Three prominent KPL teams have a tie-up with SLK sides.
TNIE has learnt that Wayanad United is already mulling moving its top players to Kannur Squad, which its president Shammem Backer co-owns. A similar move is unfolding at Kovalam FC as well, which has ties to Kombans.
“What’s noteworthy here is that it is the top two teams of the Kerala Premier League that go on to play in the I-League division. Because SLK has foreign players, AIFF regulations mean that they are not eligible to compete in official leagues,” says Krishnan.
Football analyst Mishal Thanveer holds a similar opinion. “The new league seems more about profit than enhancing the sports. It’s the same I-League vs ISL scenario again. The KPL, with its 22-team format, is a huge platform for players to get much-needed matches. I hope SLK should in no way affect that,” he says.
However, Mathew, the CEO of SLK, clarifies that the league is held as per AIFF rules. ”The league is officially sanctioned by AIFF and KFA,” he says.
Meanwhile, a KFA official says the SLK is expected to meet I-League criteria “a few years down the line”, when more franchisees add to the current list.
According to Kenny Roger Moise, a football enthusiast, sports leagues are like weddings in India. “Big, loud and colourful. Every state is organising its own league. Yes, big leagues have given football the glitz and glam the game deserves,” he says.
“But I wonder if it’s sustainable, and whether such leagues have a long-term vision. They focus on profit, rather than nurturing talents.”
Even as there is a bit of skepticism in the air, the legends are gung-ho about the new league. “If India has to qualify for the World Cup, Kerala has a huge role to play. We need to produce 11 players like I M Vijayan and Jo Paul Anchery, and I hope SLK will help in doing that,” says former Indian skipper Bhaichung Bhutia.
Vijayan, the black pearl of Indian football, is also excited about SLK, of which he is an ambassador. “During our days, there were several tournaments, and that was what propelled seven to nine players from Kerala to the national camp at one point of time,” he recalls. “I hope SLK brings those amazing days back.”
Currently, only a few players from Kerala get the opportunity to play in the Indian Super League and the I-League. If the SLK promises to open a new world for Kerala football and help aspiring local footballers develop a more professional attitude towards the sport, then we have only one thing to say: game on!
Teams & owners
Kochi Pipers: Mahesh Bhupathi
Thrissur Roar: Kaz Patafta, CEO of Brisbane Roar FC; Benoit Joseph of Magnus Sports, Mohammed Rafeeq of Nusym Technologies
Kannur Squad: M P Hassan Kunhi, director of Kannur Int’l Airport Ltd; Mibu Jose Nettikadan, MD of Castle Group; Praveesh Kuzhuppilly, Asset Homes director; and Shameem Backer of Wayanad FC
Thiruvananthapuram Kombans: Aswathy Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bayi; Dr Mohamed Ilyas Sahadulla, KIMS Hospital CMD; K C Chandrahasan, of Kerala Travels; and T J Mathews, Kovalam FC
Malappuram FC: Ajmal Bismi, MD of Bismi Group; Dr Anvar Ameen Chelat, of SAT Tirur FC and Grand Hypermarkets; and Baby Neelambra, President of Saudi Indian Football Forum
Calicut Sulthans FC: V K Mathews, tech entrepreneur and chairman of IBS Group