Can football finally give cricket the hard tackle in India?

India, football’s sleeping giant, is waking up. Thanks to the internet, the ISL, a FIFA commitment, growing viewership, and grassroots action

The excitement around football in India has increased over the last decade, primarily due to improved and increased coverage of the sport

That said, cricket continues to hold its fort as India's favourite national pastime, in spite of all the controversies surrounding it

But refreshingly enough, the ISL is changing football: from the way the sport is administered, to the way it engages with fans, and the way players are treated (or paid)

What is stopping Indian football is the lack of a hero: a celebrity who will excite advertisers and bring more money into the game

For Karanjeet Singh, a 13-year-old student in a South Delhi school, football began as a casual kick-about with his friends. Nothing serious, nothing worth giving up his life for. That was four years ago. Today, things have changed, as he returns from a gruelling practice session at a football academy in New Delhi. “Today was about tactics, closing down tight spaces,” he explains during his warm down session, dressed in a Liverpool replica shirt.

Singh’s interest in football piqued not because of homegrown heroes, but the changing nature of media consumption: the internet. “When I was growing up, everyone around me was just into cricket.

AUTHOR

Venkat Ananth

Venkat is currently in his tenth year in journalism. Prior to The Ken, he was Deputy Content Editor at Mint as part of the newspaper’s digital team. He also wrote in-depth features on the business of sport for the newspaper. His earlier assignments include Yahoo! (as a columnist) and the Hindustan Times, where he began his career. Born in Mumbai, Venkat holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) degree from SIES College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Mumbai and a Master of Arts degree in International Studies from Goldsmiths, University of London. He currently resides in New Delhi, where he moved nearly five years ago.

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