The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Wednesday assured I-League clubs that efforts would be made to safeguard their interests. The announcement came at the end of a meeting between the AIFF president Praful Patel and representative of the clubs.
Patel told the clubs that status quo would be maintained between the I-League and the Indian Super League (ISL) and the two would co-exist for two more years. He is going to approach the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to allow the two to co-exist until a solution is found.
The AIFF claimed that the game’s backbone has been the developmental and promotional activities, including the youth programmes conducted by the I-League clubs.
“With the advent of the ISL, which is also a league recognised by the AFC, it is imperative to find a viable, and sustainable mechanism to mitigate the concerns about the future of the I-League, and its clubs,” said Patel.
Solution for the present
The decision would also involve the approval of FSDL, the subsidiary of AIFF’s commercial partner IMG-Reliance. “We don’t want to pack up the I-League. It should continue. But ultimately there should be a roadmap of Indian football. Two leagues cannot go on permanently. The AFC will also not allow it forever. It is just a solution for the time being,” Patel added.
The champion of every national league now play the Asian Champions League, while the winners of knock-out tournament compete in the AFC Cup. The current arrangement is to give the ACL slot to the I-League winner and the AFC Cup to the ISL champion. The AIFF is looking to reverse this arrangement which would automatically make the ISL the official main league of the country.
The clubs have been at loggerheads with the AIFF and had taken exception to one of the AIFF officials claiming the ISL to be the main league.
No assurances
“There is a historical issue with Indian football, within that framework, I feel a reasonable two to three years window should be given for I-League also to be continuing. I cannot give you any assurance yet because I have to talk to the AFC. The AFC also has to agree to what I am saying,” Patel said.
The AIFF president stressed, “The AFC will have to agree. Our commercial partners have to be consulted. At the end of the day, there are costs involved. I feel that the I-League also must co-exist with the fullest recognition of the AFC so that it is an AFC product.”
The clubs have been given a day to respond to Patel’s suggestions.
