I-League and ISL merger to be opposed by clubs
I-League clubs in India are set to oppose the planned merger of the ISL with the I-League in 2018. I-League clubs are likely to have a problem with the planned merger wherein only the top two or three clubs from the I-League will join the ISL while the others will be left to play in a second tier league in the country. The All India Football Federation has invited the media for an “interaction on the future of football in India” in New Delhi on Tuesday.
While there is no comment over the exact details of the planned merger, it is expected that the proposed plan to be tabled on Tuesday will include the continuation of the I-League and the ISL in their present forms next year. The changes will be brought in in 2018 when there will be three divisions of national football leagues with two teams from the I-League being added to the ISL.
Also read: AIFF confirms ISL, I-League merger in 2018
The teams which join the ISL are expected to be two from the three most successful clubs in the country; Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Bengaluru FC. One of the two Bengal based teams are expected to be asked to partner with ISL franchise Atletico de Kolkata.
A source told the Times of India, “The AIFF is trying to copy the American model where the top franchisees play in the Major League Soccer (MLS) while the second tier clubs play in the North American Soccer League (NASL). There will be no promotion relegation to the top league and teams will be added to the top league as and when the organizers feel they are ready."
A senior official from a football club in Goa was unhappy with the way things were being planned by the AIFF. He told the Times, “The AIFF president Praful Patel has always maintained that the ISL is just a tournament and India has just one league, the I-League. Rather than making ISL franchisees join the I-League as corporate entries, why is the AIFF working the other way round?"
The planned merger could result in major I-League clubs like Salgaocar FC, Sporting Clube de Goa, Mumbai FC and Shillong Lajong FC missing out on the newly formed tournament after making significant investments to meet stringent Club Licensing Criteria.
It would be unfair to them if this were to happen inspite of the teams taking such measures to continue as a club in the I-League.