The fourth season of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) is less than three weeks away, and while fans all over the country are counting down to D-Day, FC Pune City made the news! As only one of the original two teams (besides NorthEast United FC) to have never made it to the knock-out phase of the league, this time the Stallions have made some impressive acquisitions during the draft.Recently, the men in orange also revealed their new co-owner, popular actor Arjun Kapoor, much to the delight of movie buffs and also the Pune fans.In an exclusive interview with indiansuperleague.com, the Bollywood star spoke about his association with FC Pune City, his thoughts on the new-look ISL and of course, his fellow acting rival in the ‘Maha’ derby.“When you get to affiliate yourself with a sport that you are passionate about, by getting a chance to become the co-owner of the team and to operate within the confines of the team to bring about a change on a day-to-day basis, it is almost like a dream come true,” Kapoor enthused as he revealed his desire to have an identity with football.He further elaborated, “I’ve (always) dreamt about being part of football teams, and suddenly I’m talking to you as a team co-owner. It was surreal, and I couldn’t believe my luck!”The actor also reckoned that the reputation he had put so much effort into developing had helped him achieve this dream of his.“Maybe I’ve worked hard enough to have a face value; and the love for the sport somewhere has translated into people believing that I can be the face and co-owner of the team,” he added.Kapoor was also all praise for the new format the ISL has adopted for the upcoming season, and explained how it would benefit players.“I think it’s much better to have a longer league. What many people don’t realise is that if you’re playing on weekends and weekdays, your body cannot take it. You have to travel, train, rest, and eat right; and then you have to perform 90 minutes at a stretch. You have to be mentally and physically conditioned to give it your all. So, this (a longer league) allows players to get a lot of benefits. They get to rest well, eat well, travel less, train enough, work on tactics and be in the right head space.”And it’s also a better idea from a fan’s point of view according to Kapoor.“For any football fan, to have the league operating for five months instead of two is much better,” he explained. “You get time to catch up with the game in case you’ve missed it. What used to happen last year was, had you missed 15-20 days of the league, you could not relate. So, it’s a very good sign and its more professional as well.”The actor has been to many of Pune’s matches, and he fondly reminisces Frenchman David Trezeguet’s exploits during the first season of ISL in 2014.“For Pune, having David Trezeguet involved in the inaugural season was a very cool start. By that, I don’t mean having him only as the cool element, but it shows that India can have its place in the global footballing army.”For the Stallions though, the main objective for the new season would be to grab a semi-final berth. Kapoor believes that his team has the firepower to finally achieve the feat this season.“I think that (qualifying for the knock-out phase) is the primary focus. You have to start with belief. You cannot live in the past and focus on the future. They (the players) have to work hard. I believe consistency is the key. It’s important to be consistent over the 18 games of the league, and from there with a bit of luck and loads of hard work I think we have a good chance of making it to the top four.”He also singled out last season’s Golden Boot winner Marcelo Leite Pereira (better known as Marcelinho) and winger Kean Lewis as two of their most important players.“Marcelinho has experience playing in India and understands the climate and the conditions. He understands the rhythm and the pattern of the league.”He added: “If I have to pick one to play alongside Marcelinho, then it might be Kean Lewis. Now he is experienced, and both understand each other’s games. They both link up well as they belonged to the same team last season.”And finally, the big question regarding Pune’s derby rivals Mumbai City FC, and their co-owner Ranbir Kapoor… Did Kapoor have any message for his Bollywood counterpart?“Obviously, I cannot be friends with Ranbir until the ISL ends!” he joked with a chuckle. “His team is Mumbai City FC and my team is Pune. Also, it’s the Maharashtra derby and I think that has more significance now that we are on opposite sides rather than together. So, I think it should be exciting,” he said as he signed off.FC Pune City kick off their ISL 2017-18 campaign by hosting Delhi Dynamos FC on November 22, and the first Maha derby takes place a week later.
