ISL vs I-League: AIFF to organise Super Cup with 16 Teams
What's the story?
After All India Football Federation (AIFF) decided to hold ISL and I-League parallelly this season, the governing body of football in India is all set to organise Indian Super Cup which would involve I-League and ISL sides. The Super Cup will be the potential replacement of the historic Federation Cup as per reliable sources.
In case you didn't know...
Federation Cup was the Cup Tournament in India which decided one of the two AFC tournament slots. The Federation Cup was founded in the year 1977 and Mohun Bagan have been the most successful side in the tournament with 14 titles. Bengaluru FC are the defending champions of the Federation Cup.
The heart of the matter
The Super Cup is all set to be a 16-team affair with 12 direct entries from ISL and I-league. Six teams from both the leagues will directly qualify for the upcoming tournament. The remaining four slots will be decided through a qualifying stage between the remaining eight sides from ISL and I-League.
The much anticipated Super Cup will be a group stage affair with the knock-outs scheduled to take place later on. There will be four groups consisting of four teams each and the group leaders will qualify for the semis. The winners will then go on to play the prestigious final.
While the AIFF wants to organise the main tournament between April 1 and 30, the qualifiers will be held in the month of March. Either Guwahati or Kochi will host the main event while the venue for the qualifiers will be decided shortly.
The Super Cup will be held after Indian football team's friendly against Kyrgyzstan on March 27. ISL and I-League will get over on March 17 and March 10 respectively.
What's next?
The official confirmation regarding the Super Cup is still awaited from the AIFF which will add further details to the ongoing discussion.
With the January transfer window open, teams might bring in big names to bolster their respective outfits.
Author's Take
Indian Super Cup will surely ignite a new rivalry as teams which have never faced each other in competitive matches will cross swords while the ongoing tussle between ISL and I-League fans will take a new shape.
The I-League teams are often considered to be weaker than the ISL franchises and the Super Cup will act as the perfect stage for the I-League clubs to prove their worth. It will also be interesting to see how cash-rich ISL franchises perform against the legendary Indian clubs like East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.
As of now, the Super Cup is deemed to be a regular tournament with no AFC affiliation, hence teams can experiment with their squads to set up their squads for the next season.