Tata Steel says decision is strategic and not linked to anything else
New Delhi: Jamshedpur FC’s withdrawal from the upcoming Indian Super League was planned long before the uncertainty over the league’s commercial future surfaced, with Tata Steel on Tuesday asserting that the decision was part of a long-term strategy to return to its grassroots football legacy.
The club’s exit comes months after questions emerged over the ISL’s future following the expiry of the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Ltd (FSDL). Tata Steel vice president (Corporate Services) D B Sundara Raman, however, said the two developments were unrelated.
“The current decision has nothing to do with whatever changes have happened in the last one year. Even if the earlier long-term agreement continued, our decision would have been the same because this was an internal decision,” Sundara Raman said.
He said Tata Steel had reviewed its football strategy over the past year before deciding to concentrate on grassroots development, which has remained its strength since establishing the Tata Football Academy (TFA) in 1987.
Describing the move as strategic rather than financial, Sundara Raman ruled out any disagreement with the AIFF and said the company remained committed to Indian football through its academy and grassroots programmes.
“We are not stepping away from football. We are stepping back into the space where Tata Steel has made its biggest contribution to Indian football for decades,” he said.
The TFA has produced more than 150 India internationals from around 275 cadets, while Tata Steel’s grassroots programme has reached nearly 6,700 children since 2017-18.
