'Bureaucracy has destroyed Indian Football, I am losing Money': NEUFC owner John Abraham craves financial backup with the dream of an Indian 'Lionel Messi'

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Bollywood superstar and Northeast United (NEUFC) owner John Abraham has accused the Indian bureaucracy of destroying Indian football.

Abraham, who is the owner of the ISL team Northeast United, has been a mainstay of Indian football since the inception of the Indian Super League.

NEUFC hasn't had the best seasons in recent times and the owner gave a clearer picture of the club's financial condition in a passionate interview at the TRS Podcast. He spoke about the sorry status of the club and also opened up on financial backing. Abraham also depicted about his close connection with the North East region and revealed that he is trying to create a football academy in Shillong.

"I can say only one thing about Indian football. Bureaucracy has destroyed Indian football. I feel Reliance has done extremely well with the league. I think due to ISL, India has found itself on the map. People may think otherwise but I feel it. But I am losing money every year. Being an individual year, it gets very difficult for me to compete against the multi-billion dollar corporates," Abraham said in the TRS Podcast.

"I am a huge fan of the North-East region. It is like my second home and I want to present Northeast United FC with a lot of pride. I cry when they lose and the last two seasons were very bad for us. But I love this club and I created it from scratch," he added.

Abraham also thanked the Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya for extensive backing and revealed his plans to launch a football academy in Shillong. And the film star also says that a 'Lionel Messi' from India will make him happy about his contribution.

"I would hope someone backs me to take it forward. I would hope for backups from the government as well. Both Himanta Biswa Sarma (CM of Assam) and Conrad Sangma (CM of Meghalaya) are fantastic people. The way they have supported me is amazing," he further added.

"My goal is simple, that is legacy. I want one Lionel Messi from India, and I will be happy. I want one superstar from my academy, which is being created in Shillong and it will be India's best football academy. It will take two years and I have no funds. So I am going to corporates and begging them for money, so that the underprivileged kids get proper education, boarding, and lodging. I want to provide them from the age of 8 to 18," the NEUFC owner concluded.