There was nothing to play for in I-League, claims Ranjit Bajaj
Former Punjab FC owner Ranjit Bajaj stated that Indian football needs a federation which it can trust, claiming that the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has no future plans. Bajaj sold the remaining 50 percent of his stakes in the I-League club earlier this year, ending a fruitful venture.
Once he got to know that there wonāt be any promotion and relegation in the Indian Super League for the next few years, he decided to give up on his shares, stating that there was no motive to play for in the league. The news that Mohun Bagan and East Bengal might flock to the ISL soon, acted as a catalyst for parting ways with the team he built on his own.
āI realised after the meeting between the stakeholders of Indian football and AFC officials that took place last year that for the next three years thereāll be no promotion in the I-League, but thereāll be relegation. Then we came to know as the year went on that Mohun Bagan and East Bengal could be joining the ISL which would mean no takers for broadcasting the I-League,ā said Ranjit Bajaj in an interview with Scroll.in.
āNow thereās no AFC Cup slot either, so playing in a league where thereās nothing left to play for and keep losing money especially when we donāt have spare income didnāt make sense,ā added the former Punjab FC owner.
The Minerva Academy has been instrumental in producing top-notch players over the past few years, who have gone onĀ to represent India in many age-group levels. Ranjit Bajaj, who still runs the academy, wants to continue the same work even though he is not involved with senior football for the time being.
āDempo showed that if you donāt play in the I-League you can save a lot of money with which you can make a world-class academy. With Minerva, the way we have been producing so many players without really having a lot of resources, more finances would make a huge difference,ā stated Bajaj.
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