Arunava about Football A look at football & the world through my eyes!
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Finally the meeting between the All India Football Federation president Praful Patel and the I-League clubs happened on Wednesday, July 3 in New Delhi. But the outcome of that meeting will have come as a complete surprise to most!
The clubs had wanted to first meet the AIFF president before the Super Cup in March 2019 to get a better understanding about the future roadmap of Indian club football. The meeting didn’t happen then due to Praful Patel being busy with the general elections and the FIFA ExCo as a new FIFA Council member.
The clubs then boycotted the Super Cup, not all did but seven clubs didn’t play as there was no clarity on what was going to happen this summer, then the AIFF had been given an exemption by the AFC to run two parallel leagues only until this summer plus the AIFF in its contract with IMG-Reliance in 2010 had written that if a new league was created then it would be given top tier status. Interestingly this point seems to have been forgotten by most who where around in 2010.
AIFF general secretary Kushal Das a few weeks ago then mentioned in an interview that the ISL would be made the top tier by the AIFF ExCo on July 3, which saw the I-League clubs go up in arms and them threaten to go to court.
This finally led to the meeting with Praful Patel. There it was decided that the AIFF would discuss with its marketing partners Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) besides the Asian Football Confederation and FIFA to maintain the status quo for up to another three years to find the right solution for Indian club football.
Since then six of the I-League clubs have written a letter to the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi to intervene, while the AIFF ExCo is now set to meet on Tuesday, July 9. A lot happening but with different stakeholders having only their own interests in mind.
The question then is maintaining the status quo the right step for Indian football?
For me it’s a clear NO, then a much needed final solution to this two leagues fighting for top tier status was the need of the hour. This status quo over the last two season has brought us nowhere, it has just extended the uncertainty.
But all stakeholders involved in this were and are unwilling to compromise and rather have stuck to their positions, which is pushing Indian football down a very tricky path.
A solution is needed under the framework of the AIFF and only under their umbrella, who also have to look at the interest of their marketing partners FSDL, the Indian Super League franchises and the I-League clubs.
Now FSDL have a problem of their own in their 10 year franchise contracts with commitments from their side to their clubs for the yearly franchise fee.
The real problem is that all clubs, be it ISL or I-League, have financial issues as all teams are making losses, which all stakeholders needed to sort out for Indian club football to grow.
People and entities are not only loosing money, they are bleeding money and a solution for that needs to be found asap otherwise the threat of club or franchise closing down will always be there as there is no successful commercial model for any of them to follow.
I have read and heard enough garbage in recent weeks and months of so-called suggestions or solutions which make no sense at all.
So stakeholders, PLEASE all wake up and find a workable compromise!!
Also forget getting courts and/or the government involved, then if they do get involved, then the All India Football Federation and Indian football in general is under threat of suspension by FIFA and we have the joint 2022 FIFA World Cup/2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers coming up soon.
So again stakeholders, think before making the next move and have Indian football in mind, not just your own interests!
