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Only last Sunday, Aizawl FC created history by becoming the new I-League champions, but after all the celebrations in Shillong and then in Aizawl; the club, their owners, management and fans have realised that for the coming years it might have been a once only experience due to the planned changes in the structure of Indian club football.
The rise of Mizoram and with it Aizawl FC within Indian football over the last few years has been remarkable, then planning, implementation and hard work has led to the overall success of this tiny state in Northeastern India.
But there also lies the problem, then the I-League despite having just finished its tenth season has not been able to create a commercially viable model for the participating clubs and the parent I-League body besides the All India Football Federation; while the 2014 launched Indian Super League has been hogging the limelight and media space on Indian football despite also not been financially viable.
Now the Indian Super League organising body, the Football Sports Development Limited which is a joint venture between IMG-Reliance and Star Sports, wants to merge the ISL with the I-League with only East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC switching over from the I-League to an expanded ISL.
This Aizawl FC feels is unfair to them and their success of winning the I-League and their president Robert Royte wrote in a letter to AIFF president Praful Patel, “Amidst unprecedented success, it has been widely reported that AIFF is intending to include three I-League clubs, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Bengaluru FC, while it is silent on the inclusion of the reigning champions Aizawl FC in the proposed top league. It would be totally unfair and unacceptable to relegate the champions of the top league due to its merger with unrecognized ‘inter-city’ tournament.”
In another statement the club wrote, “Aizawl FC has submitted its formal claim to AIFF to continue in the top league even after proposed merger of the existing top league with ISL.”
“If no positive response is received from AIFF, the club will approach central Sports Minister, Prime Minister of India and also president of AFC (Asian Football Confederation).”
“If all these steps are failed, the club will have no other choice but to resort to world-wide protests, sitting demonstration near AFC/Fifa offices, picketing of AIFF office, mass hunger strike/fast unto death protest,” the club said.
And Aizawl FC is getting a lot of support across the Northeast, while the AIFF has been forced into a defensive mode with Aizawl FC winning the I-League. A meeting between the AIFF and Aizawl FC is set to happen next week.
— Aizawl Football Club (@AizawlFC) May 4, 2017
