One football league in India from next season, clarifies I-League CEO Sunando Dhar

The I-League CEO Dhar’s recent statements have now made things clear regarding the new structure of league football in India. There were a lot of speculations regarding the future of I-League from the previous season. From the next season, India will have only one top league with second and third divisions but there will be no relegation and promotion as revealed by Dhar. 

In the current format, the Indian football has two top leagues – Indian Super League (ISL) and I-League with 10 teams each. The AIFF started hosting knockout tournament Super Cup from the last year where the teams from both the leagues compete against each other. The I-League CEO has also clarified that there will be no difference in the treatment between the I-League clubs and ISL franchises and Mohun Bagan and East Bengal will play in the top division. 

"The aim is to have a proper structure in place where there will be one league at the top, followed by the second and third divisions. We are simply focusing on one-league structure. However, promotion and relegation could be difficult in the next season because there are contractual obligations and it will be difficult for us to rub those out. Once the contractual obligations are taken care of, relegation and promotion would start," Dhar told TOI. 

"Bagan and East Bengal are the two biggest clubs in the history of Indian football and I am sure they will play in the top division. However, there wouldn't be any different treatment meted out to the I-League clubs as compared to ISL franchises. Like ISL, I-League is also an AIFF property." 

The I-League CEO also expressed his satisfaction over the increase in the number of spectators at the venues during I-League matches. It is learnt that there is a growth in the percentage of the in-stadia attendance which was 58% last season. 

When asked about the financial clauses for the I-League clubs from next season, the CEO replied, "We know that I-League clubs don't work on a huge budget but then financial stability is important for not only I-League clubs but also ISL clubs. Worldwide, the maximum money comes from TV rights. But it's not the case in India. So we are working on getting the perfect model which will be financially viable.”