Will City Football Group having a takeover in India change the footballing scenario forever?

India’s massive response to the Under-17 World Cup has surely worked as a catalyst. The event became the most attended and the highest scoring tournament ever with the attendance touching the million mark, which forced the world to stand up and take notice. The match between England and Spain at the Salt Lake Stadium saw an attendance of 66684 that was consequently logged at total attendance of 1,347,143 across six host venues. It was about 116,167 more than the earlier record attendance of 1,230,976, which was set in the first ever U-17 World Cup in China in 1985.

With India’s craze for the game now well established and exciting talents like Jeakson Thounaojam coming up the ranks, effective coaching could go a long way. Though no details of CFG’s takeover has come out as of now, a closer look at how their previous takeovers have panned out surely gives us a hint of things to come for Indian football. The Group has EPL club Manchester City, MLS franchise New York City FC, A-League outfit Melbourne City FC, Japan’s Yokohama F. Marinos, and Club Atletico Torque in Uruguay, under their umbrella. While all the sides are going through their different stages of growth, the inter-group management is what has been exemplary about CFG’s business model. 

However, CFG hasn’t only been about splurging their never-ending money on big names but has also established a brilliant scouting system at its core that brings out some of the best talents from the unlikeliest of places. South America’s Bruno Fornaroli would be one of the best examples of it. He had moved to Europe along with Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani to make it big. However, after failed stints with Sampdoria and Panathinaikos, the uncapped Uruguayan was delivered to CFG following an impressive scout report. A closer study by their academy deemed him fit for Melbourne City, who until then hadn’t heard of the player. It has been two years since then where Fornaroli has scored 43 goals in 56 games and is regarded as one of the company’s best signings.

It is, hence, unimaginable to what distance the likes of Jackichand Singh, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Lalruatthara and other could have gone under such expert guidance. However, the future looks bright for the upcoming generation, who would not only play under great scouts and analysts but also share the cream of this elite system. The marvellous interlink between the clubs is bound to be a huge help for Indian players, who could one-day be exposed to the same tactics as Guardiola uses in City or Patrick Vieira in NYFC. 

Hence, a CFG academy in a city like Jamshedpur could easily become one of the best employment models, not only for the sport but for the country as well. India’s biggest gain in this project, however, would be City’s initiative of parenting privilege to their academy players. It had come into effect after one of their most promising talents, Michael Johnson, had decided to retire at 24 after playing just 45 games in Premier League. It had prompted City to find an approach for players who couldn’t find peace of mind in the game for the long run.