Indian Football: Why ISL and I-League should merge
While the Indian Football team is currently participating in the SAFF Championship, the Indian football fans are looking forward to the upcoming seasons of the Indian Super League (ISL) and the I-League. Both the leagues are recognized as equally important by the AIFF and as such both the leagues will run in parallel.
The AIFF has ensured that both the leagues will be broadcast live by Star Sports/Hotstar. The foreign player cap is also the same for both the leagues which saw the likes of Miku and Sony Norde joining Bengaluru FC and Mohun Bagan last season. Additionally, both the leagues will have an equal representation in continental AFC Competitions.
Let's look at the advantages of a merger between ISL and I-League:
ISL is the already the de-facto primary league - Even though the AIFF can claim that both the leagues have an equal importance, it's clear that the best football players in India are playing in ISL. This was evident by the fact that for the 2017-2018 season, the AIFF had correctly decided to have both the leagues in parallel.
This was due to the fact the top players in India would play the I-League season long coupled together with AFC Cup continental matches. The players would then represent their ISL franchises for a congested two-month period while at the same time also turning out in the Fed Cup and the National Team whenever called upon
While the problem of exhaustion was solved last season, the parallel leagues meant that players had to choose between ISL and I-League. Clearly, most of the players preferred ISL to I-League, and even more are expected to switch this time around. This has made it quite clear that I-League has been sort of relegated to a secondary role.
The lower financial power of I-League teams - Apart from the big guns Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, and a few others, most of the I-League teams are finding it difficult to compete at the top level. In most of the cases, there is just one company sponsoring the club and therefore cannot invest huge sums of money every year.
So, such teams in the I-League are forced to sell off their top talents to the cash-rich ISL teams. Such a deal makes sense for everyone, the ISL gets the best and most attractive quality players while the lower level I-League teams generate enough money from such deals which they can then re-invest in youth development.
Such a structure makes it evident that 3-4 top teams from I-League can join the ISL to make it a 14/16 team competitive tournament, while the others can compete in a lower division without any fear of sustainability.
Broadcast timings - As of the last season, the ISL games were mostly shown on the prime-time 8 pm slots whereas the I-League had to contend with 2/3 pm timings. This restricted I-League viewership across the country. Even though the ISL teams do not actually generate much broadcast revenue since the rights are controlled by Star Sports; it becomes still important in the long run the time at which a football match is broadcast in India.
The ISL began as a two-month tournament which was eventually expanded into four teams with 2 additional teams in the mix. Hopefully, with the merger of both the leagues, a 16 team league would be even further spread out over 6 tp 8 months.
This would be beneficial for all parties involved. The players would get a rest and improved recovery time and therefore be much fitter for continental club competitions - the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup. This would also be good news for the Indian national football teams with lesser injury risks for the players. Furthermore, all important matches with big teams such as Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal or Bengaluru FC vs Chennaiyin FC alike would have the coveted 8 pm broadcast slot.
Introduction of Promotion/Relegation - While the concept of promotion/relegation already exists in the I-League, the ISL being franchise based and already having a certain number of years in their contract cannot be relegated. Such a model is highly unsustainable for developing football in the long run.
If the leagues are merged, the tournament will be having a real stake as the lower ranked teams can get relegated. This will lead to teams investing in players more wisely, giving more time and money on home-grown youth development and not simply relying on foreign imports.
Making the league global, but not forgetting our history - The merger of ISL and I-League would present the current football fans in India to appreciate the global talents arriving in the ISL teams such as ATK, Kerala Blasters and FC Goa, but at the same time competing alongside teams which have a history such as the Churchill Brothers, East Bengal and others would give long-time passionate followers of Indian football huge satisfaction.
This would see East Bengal going up against Mohun Bagan in a crowd of around 70,000 but also having the financial broadcasting backup which will see more stars attracted the league because of the history. Also, this would provide newer opportunities for derbies (FC Goa vs Churchill, Shillong vs NorthEast United) across the country for the newly established financially powerful ISL teams against I-league teams with a rich legacy.