According to reports, Praful Patel's AIFF will announce Indian Super League as India's top-tier league and I-League could be discontinued.
Ahead of the King's Cup (where India finished third), Sunil Chhetri had stated that think tanks were formulating a future plan for Indian football in sorting out the fiasco between I-League and Indian Super League in a proper way. Well, now according to reports, it looks like that Praful Patel's AIFF is ready to push I-League down the gutter and make itself richer by Rs 700 crore. According to Times of India, the Indian FA will announce ISL as India's top-tier league next month.
The tug of war for top status between I-League and ISL outfits have been going on for quite sometime, with the latter's outfits also boycotting the Super Cup, and being heavily fined for it.
What really stands out in this entire incident is AIFF's nonchalant way of communication. Earlier, when ISL had started in 2014, the Praful Patel-led body had stated that the competition would just be a tournament, then they said that it was league lower than I-League. Well, what we were never told is that AIFF had already signed a 15-year agreement with John Loffhagen (senior vice president IMG). According to the contract, ISL was always going to become the top-tier competition.
Now instead of IMG, subsidiary FSDL has come instead of it. Both bodies had agreed, that ISL would be instated as the most prestigious and top league in India. Also, the agreement states that I-League reconstituted, replaced, or discontinued.
Also, FSDL have been losing patience, as they have even allegedly threatened AIFF of removing their support, if ISL wasn't given its agreed status soon!
According to the TOI report, a new competition called 'League One' will be formed, which will be under ISL. Teams from League One can't qualify for ISL, not can for any continental tournaments. Also, AFC Champions League playoff spot will be given to ISL champions, and AFC Cup spot will be given to Super Cup winners.
The move could really hurt the Indian football fans, as the main competition and fan-fare lies in the I-League. Earlier during his first press conference in India, new gaffer Igor Stimac had also stated that ISL can never become like I-League, as the latter has tradition which takes years to build, but the Indian FA would rather like to keep their coffers full, and let capitalism take over India's beloved sport, football.