Indian Football: Five things to watch out for in 2020

There are a host of major events in store for football enthusiasts in India this year.

Football scene in India this year is set to be eventful. After enduring a superb 2019 where Indian Super League was awarded the top-tier status over I-League, Igor Stimac was handed the reigns of the senior national team and the announcement of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup to be hosted in India in 2020, one can expect these developments, along with others to dominate the Indian football discourse this year as well. Eyes will be on both the domestic and the international front and there are loads of topics to look forward to in the new decade. [KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] Therefore, we turn the focus towards the five major things to watch out for in Indian football in 2020, that will attract the attention of every stakeholder in the nation.

Change in the Board of Directors of the AIFF

All India Football Federation (AIFF) is set to undergo some personnel changes at the Board of Directors level in the coming year. By the end of 2020, there will be a new General Secretary and Abhishek Yadav, who is already a part of the Technical Committee is a favourite to land the spot, replacing Kushal Das who is currently occupying the post. Another important change could be seen at the Presidential level as well. The current President of the AIFF, Praful Patel, was elected as FIFA Council Member earlier last year after winning with a record-breaking margin, securing 38 out of the 46 votes at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) congress in Kuala Lumpur. Patel is nearing the end of his tenure as the President of the apex governing body of Indian football and a new election for the post might happen in 2020.

Entry of ISL league-winners into the AFC Champions League

Asian Football Confederation’s recognition of the ISL as the top-tier football competition in India has reaped a huge reward for the clubs from the competition. The league toppers in the points tally will now be awarded direct entry into the group stage of the AFC Champions League, while the runners-up will get a slot in the group stage of the AFC Cup from next year onwards. [KH_ADWORDS type="4" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] Prior to this development, winners of the I-League were awarded a place in the preliminary qualifiers of the ACL while the winners of the ISL were handed an AFC Cup playoffs spot only. It was also announced that the winners of the I-League, from next year onwards, will be awarded a direct place in the group stage of the AFC Cup for the next three years.

Igor Stimac's second-year at the helm of the National Team

Indian Football Team showed a valiant display at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, but were knocked out early in the group stages, after which the former gaffer Stephen Constantine immediately stepped down from his post. Igor Stimac was chosen as his successor, who had the pedigree of being part of the Croatia side which finished third in the FIFA World Cup in 1998. The new gaffer has since attempted to instil a change in philosophy among his players where emphasis was put on playing possession-based football, instead of playing one dimensional long balls. Results have been sacrificed in the process and the fans have been keeping patience in the tactician’s plans for the national team, who still believes the squad is under a transitional process - seven months after his appointment. [KH_ADWORDS type="2" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] However, the failure in defeating lesser-ranked teams like Bangladesh and Afghanistan and failure in qualifying for the final qualifying stages for the 2022 FIFA World Cup has brought the manager under the scanner. India will resume their campaign in March with a chance of improving their chances to qualify for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. Will Igor Stimac maintain the trust of the massive fanbase if the results do not improve?

Entry of 'legacy clubs' into the Indian Super League?

The two powerhouses of Indian football, East Bengal FC and Mohun Bagan AC will be included into the ISL by the end of 2020/21 season after it was confirmed by the roadmap for Indian Football, released by the AIFF and validated by the AFC. Their participation is an interesting prospect for the football scene in general as the clubs in question - boasting of years of rich history and achievements - deserve to play in the top-tier of Indian football. Their inclusion will add another element to the Kolkata derby, a match that attracts the biggest crowds, thereby benefiting ISL’s overall popularity. Moreover, a three-way battle between ‘legacy clubs’ and ATK for bragging rights will be something to look forward to. [KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News | Article Continues Below"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]

FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup

On the backdrop of successfully hosting the FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup in 2017, the hosting rights for the next edition of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup was awarded to India. The age group competition will be held in November of 2020 and Ahmedabad was recently awarded the provisional rights as the host city for the tournament. This comes as a huge boost for the development of Women’s football in the country, and the improved investment will not only help in identification of talent but creating a solid base for a stronger Women’s National Team for the future. It will be interesting to see how the Indian team performs in the tournament, under the leadership of recently appointed manager, Thomas Dennerby.