Veteran supports five-foreigners rule
BENGALURU: Former India skipper Bhaichung Bhutia said the standard of this year's Indian Super League has dropped compared to the previous years and felt it would be right to bring back the five-foreigners rule.
"The quality of ISL this year is quite low. So, it is not a bad idea to bring back the five foreigners rule, as it is important to have the quality for people to watch it," Bhutia said here on the sidelines of a corporate event.
The 'Sikkimese Sniper' also ruled that despite eight seasons of ISL, the country has not produced top goal scorers except for a few like Sunil Chhetri and Liston Colaco.
"The Indians are not in the top-scorers list except for Colaco (who is in eighth place with eight goals). For a long time, Indian scorers have not figured in the top-3 and that's not a good sign for Indian football. We should have at least 2-3 Indian players in the top-5," Bhutia said.
"Right now, there is no difference between ISL, I-League and I-League qualifiers. The standard is almost the same. Even a second division team will fancy its chances against an ISL side. If a second division side, say United Sikkim, got a little money and get five quality foreigners, I can assure you that we will challenge some of the best ISL teams."
The former India skipper was positive about India's chances of qualifying for the Asian Cup. "We are in a very good position plus we are playing in India. Also, all the teams are ranked way below us," he said.
India are in Group D along with Cambodia, Afghanistan and Hong Kong. The matches will be played in Kolkata with the group winners making the grade.
