Can the Indian Super League truly challenge the dominance of the nation’s favourite bat and ball sport? Bollywood superstar and NorthEast United owner John Abraham believes a massive structural change is about to transform Indian football forever.
Bollywood superstar and co-owner of Northeast United, John Abraham, is now a trending topic after giving an incredibly bold statement about the future of sporting events in the nation. During the official launch of the team’s 2026-27 kit in Mumbai, the ardent actor made it known that Football will certainly give a tough fight to Cricket‘s absolute supremacy in India.
“Football will be the new cricket (in India) from this year,” Abraham confidently stated. “You will see a huge paradigm shift in football from this year. I’m one of the owners, and I’m hoping to see that change.”
Why The Sudden Shift
The immense optimism of Abraham is directly linked to a huge structural shift going on behind the scenes in Indian football. After long discussions, the All India Football Federation has finally handed over the control of commercial and operational aspects to the ISL clubs through a completely new club-centric approach from this season onward.
Championing Local Talent
Apart from making incredible forecasts, Abraham also managed to capture the hearts of football fans attending the function with one more viral moment. When questioned about who is the favorite footballer for him, Abraham did not take the names of global superstars like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo into account. Instead, he decided to give away the names of some promising Indian talents such as Parthib Sundar Gogoi, a player for NorthEast United FC, and Gurmeet Singh Chahal, a goalkeeper.
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Source: www.sportscapemagazine.com
