Indian Super League Launches with Atlético de Kolkata Victory

BY A STAFF REPORTER: Football in India has a long history, starting when the sport first came to the country in the 19th century. The Durand Cup, established in 1888, was the first nationwide football competition in India. Despite this rich heritage, India did not have a nationwide football league until the National Football League (NFL) started in 1996. Before the NFL, football clubs mainly played in state leagues or special nationwide tournaments.

In 2006, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) decided to reform the NFL to make the league more professional. This led to the creation of the I-League. However, the league faced challenges such as poor marketing and low popularity. To address these issues, the AIFF signed a 10-year television and media contract with Zee Sports in September 2006. This deal covered the NFL, the I-League, and other football events. But due to disagreements over payments and marketing, the contract was ended in October 2010.

On December 9, 2010, the AIFF signed a new 15-year deal worth ₹700 crore with Reliance Industries and the International Management Group (IMG). This partnership set the stage for the Indian Super League (ISL), which was officially launched on October 21, 2013, by IMG–Reliance, Star Sports, and the AIFF. Initially planned to start in January 2014, the league’s kickoff was postponed to September 2014.

Bidding for the eight ISL teams drew interest from major corporations, Indian Premier League (IPL) teams, Bollywood stars, and other groups. By early April 2014, the winning bidders were announced. The selected cities included Bangalore, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Pune. Notable winners included cricket stars Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, and Bollywood celebrities John Abraham, Ranbir Kapoor, and Salman Khan.

The Kolkata franchise, Atlético de Kolkata, was the first to be officially launched on May 7, 2014. They hired Antonio López Habas as the head coach and signed UEFA Champions League winner Luis García as their marquee player. The ISL’s inaugural season began on October 12, 2014, with Atlético de Kolkata defeating Mumbai City 3–0. Fikru Teferra scored the first goal of the league, and Balwant Singh became the first Indian to score in the ISL for Chennaiyin FC.