After months of deliberations, the All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) is finally set to announce its plans for the merger of the I-League and Indian Super League. After two hugely successful seasons of the ISL, the voices had grown louder in favour of the amalgamation of the two tournaments. Following the success of the ISL, the I-League too has seen encouraging signs with a 40 per cent increase in its viewership this year. Taking the cue, the AIFF officials have moved swiftly to hold talks with the officials of Football Sports Development Limited (the parent body of ISL) to sign a merger deal for a joint league in 2017. If the talks do have a positive outcome, the ongoing I-league season would be the last.
Although it has not been put on record, reports suggest that the federation has even mooted a tentative structure with the combined league featuring 11 teams -- the eight ISL franchises plus three top I-League sides. The initial talks suggest that teams such as East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC will be included in the ISL setup and the remaining teams, including Goan clubs Salgaocar FC and Sporting Clube de Goa, will play a second division league which will give them a chance to gain promotion to the top division.
The plan seems good enough for the AIFF but they will naturally face a lot of resistance from the clubs that are left out. They will have to justify the criteria that includes just three clubs and drops a majority. If one goes by the logic that only past I-League champions be included in the elite league, it will be injustice to a team like Salgaocar, who are past champions and have a rich legacy in Indian football.
To avoid any backlash, the AIFF is tight-lipped about their plans. Curiously, the federation has not included the I-League clubs in the talks. However, many top-ranking AIFF officials have confirmed that the merger talks are at an advanced stage. Initially, the time frame set for the merger was 2-3 years but the AIFF is keen to hold the combined league soon after the Under-17 FIFA World Cup that will be held in the country next year.
The league will be conducted as per the guidelines of Asian Football Confederation (AFC). That means each team will be allowed to recruit and play only four foreigners, which will include one of Asian origin. It is also reported that the budget for each of the participating teams will not exceed Rs 18 crore per season. The I-League clubs spend around Rs 11-12 crore each season on average. So it means they will have to step up to the plate and spend significantly more for a single season.
The clause about the limit on the foreign players in a team is a contentious one. There are fears that having the tournament as per AFC guidelines -- playing only four foreigners -- will bring down the quality of football in the league. The ISL, which is a private league, allows six foreigners in the playing eleven which sustains the quality of football.
However, the AIFF will have to take the middle path and formulate guidelines that adhere to the AFC rule book. The league is expected to roll out sooner than anticipated, but it should deliver quality which can raise the profile of the game in India.
