Mumbai: The fairytale journey of Bengaluru FC came to an end as the club lost 1-0 to Iraq's Air Force Club in the AFC Cup final in Doha, on Saturday. Bengaluru's exploits in AFC Cup have successfully put India back on the map of Asian football.
The AFC Cup journey may have come to an end, but the efforts to revive Indian football must not stop there. It's important for all the stakeholders to ensure that the club's historic Asian campaign does not end up being an anomaly.
The journey has just begun for Indian football to achieve bigger things, and it will be fuelled by the impetus provided by the Blues.
Bengaluru have formed a habit of defying the odds. The club was formed in 2013 after the JSW group won the franchise rights to start an I-League club. Bengaluru’s foray into Indian football started with a bang after the club won the I-league title in their debut season.
The next year they won the Federation Cup and finished second in I-League behind Mohun Bagan. They reclaimed the domestic title this year and also became the first Indian side to reach the AFC Cup final. Before them, Dempo in 2008 and East Bengal in 2013 had reached the semifinals of the AFC Cup.
The Blues' contribution is not limited to making Asia take notice of Indian football; the club united the whole football community of India like never before. For one evening, every sports fan in India was glued to their television sets for a game played by an Indian football side.
Bengaluru FC have put forward a successful method of making football popular in India. The I-League club has shown that you don’t always need Bollywood stars, mega inauguration events, and big European football names to increase the popularity of football.
The club must also become the reference point for other football clubs in India, maybe some of them need to introspect as to why they failed to do the same.
The AFC Cup finalists did not do anything special in the last three years, apart from emulating the methods of other successful clubs, and ensure that they are being implemented properly.
Results are important for Bengaluru FC, but equally important is the process. After all, results are the end product of the process. An efficient process will lead to a successful result.
Pune FC were the first club to introduce professionalism in Indian football, but BFC have now taken up the mantle. The focus is on the players’ well-being and fitness. They are the first Indian club to use GPS for tracking player’s movements, while heart-rate monitors are used for physical assessments.
A lot of common practices from European football have been implemented at the club. Bengaluru extensively use their social media to engage with fans. Fan days are organised and match-day programme notes are given to the fans.
The club have also established a residential academy in Karnataka. Five junior age group teams have been set up. The academy boasts a state-of-the-art infrastructure, which includes licensed coaches, physio, mental heal conditioning experts, a full-length sand-based football pitch equipped with floodlights, a gymnasium and a swimming pool. The focus is not just on the present, but on the future as well.
The association of glitz and glamour with Indian football has certainly made some noise, but for long term gains, football clubs and ISL franchises should follow the southerner model.
