Gokulam Kerala owner VC Praveen: Indian players must outdo foreigners

The official also called for the revival of historic competitions such as the IFA Shield and Rovers Cup.

Gokulam Kerala owner VC Praveen has reiterated the call to reduce the number of foreign players in Indian leagues. Recently, the national team coach Igor Stimac had vouched for the same.

In an online session organized jointly by the Sports Authority of India and the AIFF, Croatia’s head coach Zlatko Dalic had made it clear that it is crucial to increase the number of Indian players in the leagues for the country to improve further in the sport.  

Now, VC Praveen has put out his views regarding this issue too. He remarked, “We need to respect the idea of our national coach who wouldn't have suggested that without in-depth analysis of Indian football. The AIFF should ensure that the number should be uniform for both the I-League and the ISL.”

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“But, while reduction in number of foreign players certainly paves way for Indian players to shine, they (Indians) should raise their bar and not only compete, but also outperform the foreigners,” Praveen added.

He drew parallels from the time when the inception of the National Football League took place. Praveen seemed to indicate that a restrained number of foreign internationals back then had given rise to sublime talents like Bhaichung Bhutia and Raman Vijayan.

The Gokulam boss claimed, “Let us not mix clubs' recruitment policies with national team selection. During the initial stages of the NFL, when there was a reduced intake of foreigners, Bhaichung Bhutia (96-97) and Raman Vijayan (97-98) were the only top scorers in the league."

He continued, “After the number of foreign recruits increased, there have only been foreigners who have been top scorers except for the 2013-14 season when Sunil Chhetri ended at the top. To be precise, in 25 years, only three Indian players emerged as top scorers.”

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Praveen advocated for a better grassroots and youth development system, which could propel more Indian starlets to the top leagues of the country. Moreover, he also aspired for the revival of historic competitions such as the IFA Shield and Rovers Cup.

As far as the roadmap of Indian football and the eventual merger of the ISL and the I-League is concerned, he observed, “The champions of I-League 2021-22 will be promoted to ISL 2022-23. We wish the pandemic ends soon and AIFF will stick to its plan.”

Gokulam Kerala won the Durand Cup in 2019.

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