Despite objection from some top clubs, the All India Football Federation on Thursday decided to put the cap on the number of matches a player can play in domestic tournaments, including the I-League, to 40.
The decision, which aims at keeping the number of matches a player can play in local leagues to the minimum, would hit hard big clubs like Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Dempo and Churchill Brothers.
It would reduce the number of matches their top players can play in the local league which, in turn, would affect the crowd presence. Earlier, there was no limit on the number of matches a player can play but the Asian Football Confederation has been telling for some time that I-League players should not play in local leagues.
The federation, however, kept the foreign players out of the 40-match rule. The decision has been ratified by the AIFF Executive Committee.
“I-League players other than foreign players cannot play more than 40 domestic club matches for this season,” an AIFF statement said. “For the avoidance of doubt, domestic club matches include I-League, Federation Cup, Durand Cup, IFA Shield, local leagues and other AIFF-approved tournaments but does not include International club tournaments,” it said.
