ISL returns with new faces and old tricks

Guwahati, The Indian Super League’s (ISL) third edition will pitch familiar foes against one another, possibly for the final time as an eight-team franchise format. ISL’s potential merger with the I-League to form a composite national football tournament is expected to take place next season.
The reshaping of club football in India, as the All India Football Federation (AIFF), prefers to call it, will see some select clubs of the two leagues included in the combined competition.
AIFF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have jointly, through a taskforce, been looking into the merger possibilities with a favourable deal for all stakeholders concerned. Nothing has been finalised and a clear picture is not expected to come out anytime soon.
Till then, the ISL’s current edition will offer similar thrills that it has doled out in the first two seasons, with several high-profile has-been stars expected to be on the forefront of attention.
The ISL’s attempt to be recognised as a global brand and the flagbearing tournament of Indian football has seen former or semi-retired stars come here to receive their pensions. ISL-3 is expected to be no different.
Former Atletico Madrid and Manchester United star Diego Forlan, Brazilian World Cup-winner Lucio, ex-Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda and former Liverpool and AS Roma man John Arne Riise are some of the esteemed names in the 11-week long tournament, starting tomorrow.
The emergence of Indian players from the glitzy tournament to strengthen the national team’s fortunes has been low.
However, some notable names like Jeje Lapekhlua, Mandar Rao Desai, Romeo Fernandes and Sandesh Jhingan have made themselves prominent.
NorthEast take on Kerala in opener
The first match pits hosts NorthEast United FC with Kerala Blasters at the Indira Gandhi Stadium here.
Curiously, it will be the third consecutive opening clash between the two franchises with NorthEast winning 1-0 in 2014 at home and losing 1-3 in 2015 at Kochi.
Blasters, runners-up in 2014, had a trouble-filled campaign last year with much chopping and changing in the team management.
With new co-owners funding fresh expectations, they have handed the managerial reigns to Englishman Steve Coppell and drafted in forward Michael Chopra and defender Cedric Hengbart. Northern Ireland’s international Aaron Hughes is their marquee player.