 Hello and welcome to another episode of 420grams here on NewsClick.in we have Mr.Rendee Singh back in the house we thought we were a little bit worried, a little bit scared that he was upset with us in a runaway but turns out he was just really busy doing a lot of stuff so this episode what we're going to do is we're going to figure out what he's been up to and also how that sort of feeds into the larger conversation of what's happening in Indian football especially in the off season at least for the men's game. Ajun Pandit is here as always So to start off with just give us a brief round up of where you've been in the last couple of months and what's going on in your life Last one and a half when I was working with Neroka Football Club, Neroka were supposed to play the Super Cup which we were preparing well but then we couldn't as the officers were not too happy with the FF whatever due to that that was my best platform but then sad thing is that we couldn't take part but at the same time good thing is that I could spend one and a half month with the team and we played two tournaments, local tournaments and we won so that was a good experience for us actually and for me. And so since then also we've heard the development that the classic group has pulled out of the sponsorship of Neroka which leaves sort of what has been over the last couple of years the leading club from the northeast in the country kind of high and right without the funds or the sort of backing to push for the iLeague next season Firstly a bit of hard luck that all this went down just when you got charge of the team It is a bad luck actually and I really had a great time working because I know a lot all of them because I've been following them for the last three years and what classic has done by sponsoring Neroka for the last three years I think they have done great for Manipuri football and Manipuri players and nobody have heard about Neroka before before classic started taking over and then in the last three years what they have done will be the best example it's just that it's a sad thing that they will not continue but like we were talking about it if Neroka can continue with the Indian players you know it will be very difficult to get a sponsor again because Manipuri we don't have any private industries and it's very difficult to get a sponsor What's the hit like? So just for people who are watching what's the hit on Neroka in terms of finance what's the kind of budgets you have for a season keeping in mind the number of foreigners you've played last season So Neroka if you see the players, the Japanese players, the Australian, the Brazilian they are good players and the classic we have spent quite a lot I mean I'm not comparing with the ISL or the best club Mohan Bagan and East Bengal but those players have already played in Mohan Bagan and East Bengal and they were in Neroka last year so they were spending at least 20 to 25 lakhs a month 20 to 25 lakhs a month and this is a 12 month season or a I think 6 to 7 months 7 months But then again now as classic has parted ways with Neroka and the big question is who is going to come as a title sponsor This is the big challenge for Neroka officials right now and because classic has already started their own academy they will concentrate on the 13, 15 and 18 and in few years when things get better as a clear roadmap they are planning to come back on their own as a football club So right now if I would say so you are spending close to a crore, 1.2 crore in a year with foreigners and you are playing the I-League what you did last season but say you cut out the foreigners that was about how many? 5 or 6 foreigners? 6 foreigners 6 foreigners So you cut them out completely like say what a Lajong did then how much does your budget drop to? Budget will drop drastically but then whatever Lajong did if Neroka can do the same this will be a very good experience for the local players because all throughout they will be getting a chance to perform every week in week out but at the same time all said and done it's very difficult to play without foreigners and you don't want to lose every match and I can understand the way Lajong have started the first match without any foreigners they beat I-League and it was one of the best match I have seen but after that they just couldn't continue with the form and for official for the players when you start losing even though it's a good experience when you start losing every match it hampers the whole club and so for me if they can add one or two foreigners at least one striker or a defender with local players if they can't sign six foreigners I think that should be the way So 80-90 lakh you are saying you guys should be sorted with two foreigners? Yeah if Neroka can come up with 80-90 lakhs I think they should be able to but to get 80-90 lakhs in a place like Manipur We'll tell all our followers hey guys 80-90 lakh We can actually what we should do definitely we have some we have yeah that's what I was just going to say we have a couple of partner platforms who are running very successful crowdfunding campaigns it's called our democracy and so what they've actually managed to very successfully collect funds transparently for a couple of candidates who are standing in the elections those who wanted to collect funds in a clean manner where it's available for everyone to see where the funds are coming from but I mean maybe it's not a long-term solution to but since Neroka is a community club and I think there's a strong local following If everyone puts 100 rupees first, not from lottery money That's difficult you know in this organized world right now it's not like it's Bengal and Mohan Bagan where I can you know where we used to get 10-15 lakhs in a year I think there was no as a title sponsor as such you know every membership we're chipping in but in this organized world is there's I think a new generation I think it's very very difficult you know if you go that way so you have to have a proper amount organized you know where you don't miss out on the on the players salary I think the other thing that also classic brought to the table was that because it was sort of a large organization the hospitality part the staying part was also taken care of when visiting teams were coming in to Imphal to play the matches they were also staying at their own hotel so everything was kind of functioning pretty smoothly and I think the first year when the ILEA happened in Manipur Neroka got that recognition that they were the best hosts of the season so what I want to ask you is how much if Neroka as sort of today's best known club out of the northeast can't find sponsorship and raise money then isn't this a situation that other clubs are feeling much harder Saagulpan United, Trau, women's club like Eastern Sporting Union who were the women's league champions and this year I think they're not even playing in the women's league because they don't have the funds and their players have been picked up by richer clubs and you know the usual stuff that happens how difficult is it overall in Manipur and in the northeast to find that kind of money it is very difficult see now if we talk about classic the way they have organized it's nothing less than ISL in terms of organization if you see the message as a Manipuri to see those kind of organization but because we haven't seen in our days we have not seen if you see right now also if you see Manipur league and ILEA the way they have organized if you go to the stadium there is this big difference and the way they have organized and in terms from the salary from the stay and the way they do things it was so organized and now big challenges if they can if anyone whoever comes in will they be able to organize the same like I said you know in northeast it's so difficult to get a sponsor it's easy to be a team from Maharashtra or Delhi or Calcutta but like you said in second division ILEA Trow is doing well but the budget is not much this is all local players and to play second division even Saagolman united that way it's all local players and one foreigner it's difficult to put it in perspective right now if Trow is playing second division and their budget is X then when you move on to the ILEA and you want to be competitive in the ILEA X into how much to actually have a competitive team that can challenge the other teams in the ILEA you know local players can still remain the same but the foreigners four five foreigners or six foreigners you have to sign a good one if you want to be in that best three or four you can't just play the same foreigners even for the second division and ILEA there is a big difference and for Trow they are also doing well you know by winning all the games they have played till now so they are doing well but then once they qualify they have to change the team not the local but at least with the foreigners they have to get good foreigners so that they can compete with the best four or five ILEA is in different level when we were it's pretty similar sort of jump up that you see from the ILEA to the ISL in terms of how many X so approximately five X approximately five X would be because you also see you're playing a much longer season right the second division is a truncated sort of season you're playing in one location versus home and away there's a lot more travel involved so expenses exponentially go up and I think the point was just that like it's ironic that in a place like Delhi where there is no real ecosystem for football it's relatively easier to have a club and find money to operate that club but in Manipur where football is by far the most popular sport I don't think so which Delhi club has actually come close to doing something in the second division so which means they don't really have a competitive club I mean it just seems it seems easier because you've got the metros there so there are many more of course corporations to approach but that's my point I mean see the thing is what is the corporation looking for they are looking if you're putting our money into something how are we getting good visibility now if you're part of a Manipur where football is the sport and you are the biggest team in Manipur why not try reaching out to people outside of Manipur corporations who would try to put in money into the club and of course move it forward is that a plan going forward have you guys thought of something like that when you are not getting any sponsors from your own state we should try and look outside but Lajong Ming have tried his best Ming has been there for a very long time in Delhi and he has struggled to get those sponsors in the last few years I played two years over there and the money was good then because they had good sponsors three or four sponsors but yeah and ASL even so after that I think he has struggled with the sponsors that's why he couldn't sign any foreign players and he wanted to give a platform to all the young players so he has tried that and it's easy to say oh why don't we look outside but I think in India especially now people are looking outside but they are still struggling to find those sponsors and when you are talking about 30-40 lakhs it's not much but then when you are looking for more than a crore I think even the outside sponsors they are also not very sure to give that amount of money to the Northeast yeah I remember when Bai Cheng was really pushing United Sikkim and we used to of course shoot with him in studio so we used to chat and he is like I have gone from door to door to every big corporation and I am Bai Cheng Bhatia the big man of Indian football the most visible man of Indian football and Bai Cheng is a guy who doesn't make a fuss about it he asks for what is required exactly exactly and he is like even then like no one pays heed the maximum is there they will give me a meeting but then post that meeting nothing really comes off it because end of the day if you look at the numbers that are watching the games I think predominantly Neroca games are also being watched by a Manipur centric audience or at the most a Northeast audience and if you look at the sort of per capita incomes of these areas the people like Reddy was saying he is also running a football school he has reduced his monthly fee by one third because local kids just don't have the spending power to spend and it's not a large fee it's 2000, 3000 rupees a month right so it's relatively under control but still to accommodate more players these are the kind of things they have to do it's so bad that you know kids they are from such a humble background for family that they struggle to pay 20 rupees a day or 40 rupees up and down such as that remember then the quality the potential is so high but of course yes in terms of sponsor we are not getting it we are struggling trout doing well big question is if they do qualify what will be the next step will they be able to get all the big sponsors so that they can sign good players other than that in the grassroot level the players the ex players they have started their own academy not only me there are many players Goromangi and there are many other players Dharamjit so in grassroot level and we have started the the league for the kids under eight and six at least in the ground level last one or two years we have been doing well so in another three four years I think Manipur will come back last five to seven years I think Manipur football we are going we were on a decline downhill but it will take few years to come back but what's good to see about is the grassroot all the young players all the players we have played in the highest level some of them have retired and they have started their own football school as such so it will come back so you know whenever you talk about Manipur there is the first sport that comes to mind is football it's pretty clear for anyone in India you talk to them they'll say football this is the state that has given the country the maximum number of players as well and this is the state where players are earning their living of football the maximum as well in a way what role does the government play in this since football is such a big feeder to the society to the economy and all the people growing up there is there no chance that the government can come in and say look we'll give you grants or in some way or the other help you Taqi the tradition continues from the government for a state like Manipur they have got many other problems than football so there is no way and then I really don't want of course I don't have anything against the government and I know that like I said they have many different problems but we as an ex-player we should be able to do or open up an academy where it can be sustainable do not charge like you are charging in the metro cities charge a little bit so that you can pay the coaches and then we have to coach the coaches first and which it is going on there are a lot of ex-players doing into a coach they are going for a coaching course which is the best thing and those players those coaches if you can spread out all over Manipur and which is they are doing it right now so in another one or two years we should be able to see a better place again like it's sad that Manipur start losing again in the women's football 4-0 and that's the saddest thing we lost to Nagaland in under 21 Tiaw Cup in last 7 years Manipur football has not been great but like I said in last one or two years what we have been doing in the ground level I think we should be able to see what Mizoram has done in last few years they have done great so Manipur has been running second but I hope in few years we should be able to do much better than what we have been doing in the last 7-8 years sorry just one last thing since you know the demand I know Manipur football has not been doing well we all know the results but the demand for the Manipuri player is still as much as what it was before that as well all over the country but the maximum number of players still playing all over are from the northeast Manipur yeah Mizoram has like agreed in terms of sheer numbers there are more professionals from Mizoram now playing in India than Manipur agreed I know that was a stat a while back but my point is for you guys who have now started your schools you, Mangi and Dharamjeet and the rest of course have you not thought that since my players will be in demand when they are developed that why don't I take money from the club and sell them so that I can then gain some financial muscle and then put it back into the society or into whichever team I think that's the way it will take few years is there a system in place for that 3-4 years once this player started doing well I think you can sell them like many teams Lajong has done it so I think the rest will follow they have started Classic Football Academy Classic Football Academy of course they are going to start as a proper academy and for sure in another 4-5 years they are going to sell the players because they are spending money on it so but it's like while I was coming from Infal to Delhi I saw 32 players from Manipur going to Chandigarh Lajong Glass Academy for a try you can see that the amount of players who are ready to come out because Manipur is the way of life for them Manipur other than that there is hardly any employment there is a big employment problem in Manipur and football is the only way to come out for a better living so it's sad to see at the same time and I'm happy at the same time because the way because once they get a chance if they get a platform they will not look behind what's happening with you next now what are you doing the next few months of season plans? few months I have got around football school and I have joined as a technical director for Classic Football Academy this is for next few months we will work on that because I really wanted to to continue with Narokha but then with the problem they are in right now they are not sure if they will play the high league because of the sponsorship so classic for me if they can the way the vision is I think it looks better they are coming up in next 3 or 4 years they want to have classic football club playing in high league second division and qualify and before that under 13, under 15, under 18 they want to have the best because in Manipur like you see we never had a residential academy in Manipur Classic in few months they are going to have a first residential academy so the Manipuri the best ones have gone out but now if you have a residential academy in our own state they don't have to travel out so we will be able to get the best Manipuri players so whatever Classic is doing I like the idea so I have joined as a technical director so let's see because you are taking 12, 13, 14 year old kids away from home away from home with very little supervision and the purpose of taking these kids is so directly related to how they will turn out and how much money they will earn you that no one is really concentrating on the overall development and these guys having been through the system and been in an academy like he was from the age of 11 they know how and they actually put attention into like after training they will sit and have a cup of tea or breakfast or whatever just figure out what's happening in their lives that level of engagement I think they share a common language it's just a lot easier than and frankly like shipping kids to it's pretty much like going to a foreign country if you are going from Manipur to Chandigarh or to Chennai or wherever it is you are going it's not last last 8 months after running an academy I know how difficult it is for those kids for those poor kids it is very difficult for them to come even every day to join you know one hour away 12 hour away and you have to pay 50 60 up and down every day 60 rupees is big thing for them so if we can have a residential residential academy and select the best players and it will only help Indian football I think to some extent the fun also goes away if your whole purpose is to become a pro to become a pro so kids should have fun they should be playful at the end of the day we put so much pressure on such a young age that if you don't do this nothing can happen to you that becomes a sort of pretty traumatic environment for a kid to become anything anyway we will do this again soon and also we will be coming to you guys from Ludhiana where the Indian women's league is currently on so we will be doing some pretty in-depth coverage of that keep an eye out for that Randy thanks for coming in man good to see you back also to all the people who are watching just try spreading this episode to all over the northeast man to all the people you have just spread it all over the northeast so that the message goes out there that was the whole purpose of this episode because you got an icon of the northeast right here and he's told you directly exactly things the way they are to even bigger and better things and hopefully we can keep it simple and collaborate and get things done in the next few seasons yeah thanks for watching guys see you next week