FPAI urges Indian players not to sign new contract until AIFF clears the ISL-I-League muddle

The body urged players not to sign any new contract

The Football Players Association of India has requested Indian players not to sign with any club or franchise in the I-League or ISL unless the vision for the future of Indian football is not clear. The body, headed by former Indian international Renedy Singh was formed a few years back to act as the union and voice of Indian football players across the country.

And today, in a subtle yet strong message, the body urged players not to sign any new contract until the AIFF can propose a transparent picture of the roadmap ahead for Indian football.

Speaking to Sportskeeda regarding the issue, Cyrus Confectioner, the General Manager of the FPAI told, “This is just about keeping the players in the loop. We didn’t want to hassle them during the season. But now with the season over and most contracts have finished, we want the players to be careful with what they are doing. 

“We can’t impose anything on the player. Our job is to guide them to the best of our abilities. And that’s what we are doing here.

“With the future unclear regarding the merger, the players may just miss out on a much better deal for the coming year. Let’s say if some player signs for an I-League club right now and the merger doesn’t happen and the two league are run at the same time as proposed, he might just miss out on a lucrative contract.

“At the same time if someone signs right now and the merger does happen, the sum he is getting right now might be much less than what they might offer in the draft. So this is something we want the players to be aware of. We would advise them to take a step back and let AIFF clear the scenario regarding the ISL and the I-League and then they can take a call on their furture.”

The FPAI, which is recognised by FIFPro has acted as a guardian to all matters related to the players’ rights in the Indian football scene. It had earlier opposed to the draft system in the ISL which rendered the players helpless when it comes to negotiating contracts and the right to choose the team they want to play for. 

Speaking to Sportskeeda, Renedy Singh had earlier stated, “The draft system was put to a vote and 90% of the players were up against it. So we told the organisers of the ISL. We are here to fight for the players and be a voice for them.”

In a four-point proposal, the FPAI had laid down the demands in March this year.

In response, the AIFF, in a condemning statement had stated that they don't recognise FPAI as the official players' body.

Responding to the statement, Renedy Singh had stated to Sportskeeda, “Well we don’t want recognition from them. We are recognised by parallel bodies. While FIFA recognises AIFF, we have a parent body in FIFPro and they recognise us.”

The AIFF yesterday called for an all-stakeholder meeting to plan the future roadmap of Indian football on 7th June, in the presence of officials from both FIFA and AFC. The meeting will be attended by representatives of the FPAI along with those from ISL and I-League clubs.

A background

The Indian football scene has been in upheaval for about a year ever since the AIFF proposed a merger of the ISL and I-League, a proposition which many saw as rather a takeover rather than a merger with the AIFF proposing to promote ISL as the main league. 

However, those plans had to be put on hold after three Goan clubs withdrew from the 2016/17 season of the I-League and threats from other teams to pull out as well. 

In recent times, the AIFF had proposed to play the ISL and I-League simultaneously while maintaining the stature of the I-League as the main league of the country. With the ISL being proposed to be played across seven months, it brought further confrontation regarding the availability of the players. 

With ISL opening up fresh tenders and with four new teams rumoured to be inducted into the league for next season, the future of big clubs like Bengaluru FC, East Bengal, Mohun Bagan as well as I-League champions Aizawl FC is still up in the air regarding which league they will appear in next season.

Veteran stands with FPAI

Speaking about the statement made by the FPI, veteran defender and former Indian skipper Gouramangi Singh told Sportskeeda, “I think this is totally fair. The FPAI wants us to have a clear picture of which direction Indian football is heading. We need a unified league.

“The ISL has been great and has created a lot of buzz in recent times. But we can’t forget about the legacy of clubs like East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. They have done a lot for Indian football and they need to be ther as well.

“We want a bigger league, we want a better league and one that can see more Indian footballers coming to the fore.”