India to have two national football leagues nowrrthe goan I networkrPanajirrThe franchise-based league didn’t have AFC recognition in its first three editions, and has been trying for it for a while now.rThe AFC gave its consent to the All India Football Federation’s proposal through a letter signed by general secretary Dato Windsor John, a top AIFF official said on Wednesday.rSo, as of now, the winner of the I-league will participate in the AFC Champions League qualifiers, while the next ISL champion will be eligible for an AFC Cup qualifying slot.rIf the 2017-18 I-League winners fail to qualify -- no Indian club has so far -- they will get an automatic berth in the AFC Cup, the continent’s second-tier tournament. The AFC however specified that the arrangement was a temporary one and required the stakeholders to come up with a long-term plan. The development comes as a good news for Bengaluru FC, who have so far been the only Indian club serious about the AFC Cup competition. Having emerged runners-up last year, Bengaluru FC have made the zonal semi-finals this time and will play North Korea’s 4.25 SC in home and away league in August and September respectively. rThe champions of the 10-team ISL that will run for five months beginning November will get an AFC Cup qualifying slot. Till 2016-17, it was given to the winners of the rFederation Cup. rrrGrowth of Indian football is AIFF’s primary objective: Dasrrthe goan I networkrPanajirAIFF general secretary, Kushal Das thanked AFC for their guidance and support. “The growth of Indian football is our primary objective and we will take every step necessary to ensure positive results. We look forward to working with AFC and the other stakeholders to determine the most suitable medium to long term road map for Indian football,” he said as representatives of the I-League clubs met with AIFF officials at Football House in New Delhi on Thursday to discuss the way forward for the I-League for the 2017-18 season till the roadmap for Indian Football in the medium and long term is finalised with assistance and guidance from the Asian Football Confederation.rThe meeting was attended by Subrata Dutta, Chairman League Committee, Kushal Das, General Secretary, AIFF and Sunando Dhar, CEO, I-League.rThe Clubs agreed to the concurrent running of ISL and I-League for the season 2017-18 but stated that the I-League must be broadcast on the Star Sports platform with good quality production and proper marketing and promotion and scheduling of matches. They also recommended that a task force with the I-League Clubs be set up to review the I-League on a regular basis.rThey also stated that the travel subsidy needs to be increased and that AIFF should also allocate a budget for the promotion of the I-League for 2017-18 season.rFurthermore, the Clubs recommended for permission to register 8 foreign players out of which 2 should be of Asian origin, and a maximum of five foreign players should be allowed to play on the field, one among which needs to be a player of Asian origin.rSubrata Dutta who chaired this meeting said all the recommendations of the I-League Clubs will be placed before the League Committee whose meeting is scheduled on July 5, 2017, and the final decisions of the Committee will be communicated to the clubs. Meanwhile, the AFC has sent a communication to AIFF expressing happiness that the AIFF Executive Committee has approved the project to determine the medium and long term road map for top Indian Club football.
ISL gets AFC recognition
The cash-rich Indian Super League has been finally granted official recognition by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), meaning there will be two national leagues in the country from 2017-18.
