ISL to run hand in hand with I-League next season, says Praful Patel

Praful Patel had a detailed meeting with the representatives of the 10 I-League clubs in Delhi amidst all the controversies surrounding the future of the league. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) president has said that according to him, the I-League should be given another two to three years to continue alongside the Indian Super League. He also promised to seek the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s approval to maintain the current scenario of Indian football for the next two to three years.

“I feel another 2-3 year window should be given for I-League to continue, that’s my personal view. I can’t give you any assurance on it as I have to speak with the AFC and they have to agree to what I’m saying. It may be our view, our wish, but AFC will have to approve the call. Our commercial partners also have to be consulted. At the end of the day, there are costs involved, there are rights which they have got through the Master Rights Agreement we signed many years back,” Patel was quoted as saying at the press conference by Scroll.

“I want to make it clear, we have always recognised that I-League clubs have long standing. Clubs like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have a long history in Indian football. Newer clubs too have now started contributing a lot for Indian football. So nobody wants to undermine or wants to see that I-League clubs do not have a good future. We also want the I-League clubs to have a good future.”

Patel also said that he is concerned about the clubs as well as all other stakeholders of the Indian football. He mentioned that the issue of the slot in the AFC Champions League was “unnecessarily blown out of proportion”.

“ISL also has come and redefined Indian football by the exposure it has got. We are not just concerned about the clubs but all stakeholders in Indian football. We want players to do well, we want them to get paid well. Ultimately, the national team too has to do well. All these issues are part of the overall development of Indian football,” the AIFF president added.

“The cup slot is a smaller issue. It is unnecessarily being blown out of proportion. The real issue is that the leagues must be recognised by the AFC. Supposedly AFC doesn’t agree then it’s a problem. We have to get both the leagues to be recognised. That is the main issue. Speaking of the Champions League or the AFC Cup, tell me which Indian club? (has played in the Champions League). So this is a small way of looking at that issue. Yes, I always have said that the I-League has been our league of the country, ISL has been a recent entrant, so be it. The real issue is how do we eventually find a roadmap where all the rivers can flow into a larger entity. For that, I need to consult the AFC and a good three-year window is needed to find a solution.”