Stakeholders should set aside agenda and think about players’ future, claims Gurpreet Singh Sandhu
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has revealed that the doubts surrounding India’s premier league and the shutting down of clubs around the country has made players worry about their future and not perform at their best. He further appealed for a longer regular season in order to help maintain fitness levels.
India’s domestic football structure has been in quite a turmoil over the past couple of years, with even the country’s footballing federation seemingly unaware of the future direction it is going to take. This has led to clubs like Minerva Punjab threatening to shut down, whereas Pune City FC has been liquidated and Delhi Dynamos are set to be rebranded and based in Bhubaneshwar. Arjun Award nominee Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has consequently called out the men behind the scene with the strings, asking them to help build the players’ future instead of personal gains.
“Not everyone is fortunate as we are. We hear scary stories that FC Pune City are going to shut down and that many I-League clubs will disbanded. So the players become insecure about their future and it becomes hard to focus on the game. The performance, too, drops. I know everyone is working towards a solution but it is high time the stakeholders should set aside their agenda and think about players’ future,” he was reported saying to TOI by scroll.in.
Compatriot Sandesh Jhinghan also spoke out against the state of footballing affairs in the country, asking for a longer season to ensure regular football is played. This keeps the players in good physical shape as well as match fit to help perform better for India.
“The last time we had played for our clubs was back in March. So it’s a long wait until the new season starts. The more we play, the more we will improve and the chances of getting injured also reduce significantly. Fitness is a continuous process and playing regularly will mean that we can stay in rhythm,” Jhinghan said.
Sandhu put forward similar thoughts, which had previously also been voiced by Igor Stimac. Currently, the I-League and ISL are the two main leagues played in the country simultaneously, lasting a maximum span of six months. There have been proposals to unify the two and have a two-tier system with a higher number of teams that runs for longer periods but as of now, the AIFF has asked FIFA for time to formulate clear plans before going ahead with such drastic changes.
“Being away from football for so long isn’t healthy. We should play 40-45 games per season. There shouldn’t be a situation where we have to rue the lack of training and playing time. The domestic leagues have started in many countries who are in our World Cup qualifying group. And we are yet to start our pre-season,” Sandhu concluded.
