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PANJIM: It is only when the Indian Super League (ISL) reaches the 16-team mark, that the principle of relegation will be made applicable as per the views of FSDL, the AIFF’s marketing partners.
“We are in discussion with our (AIFF’s) marketing partners regarding it. There is a thought of implementing relegation once 16 teams are there. But no decision has been reached yet,” AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey stated.
Mr Kalyan, disclosed that the ISL’s 2023-24 season will start in coming September and that discussions were on with the marketing partners on the thought of implementing relegation once 16 teams are there. “The AIFF’s aim is to have a structured league which fulfills all basic guidelines of AFC.”
The newly promoted team to ISL, RoundGlass Punjab has to fulfill the stringent licencing criteria, even tough they will not be required to pay a participation fee in the league. Other ISL franchises have paid hefty fees of Rs 15–18 crore per season to play. The licensing process is currently an ongoing process, with Roundglass Punjab exploring the possibility of playing their home matches in New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
No foreign players could be registered for State Leagues from the coming season. In all, six foreigners can register for ISL and I-league as of now. Only four of them, including one Asian, may participate in games on the field 3+1. The AIFF is keen to maintain the current setup despite the AFC increasing the foreign player quota from the current 3+1 to 5+1 starting in the 2023–24 season. It is after barring the use of foreign players in I-League Division II that the AIFF said that no overseas players can be registered for State Leagues from next season.
It may be recalled that the ISL began in 2014 as an eight-team closed franchise league without promotion and relegation. It progressively grew to include Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Bengaluru FC in various editions during the course of its nine-year history. The expansion is a part of the implementation of the 2019 AFC strategy adopted at the AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur and the league was crowned as the top league in the nation.
It may be recalled that the issue of promotion was agreed to be introduced in 2023-24 season and relegation from 2024-25, as per the AFC’s roadmap agreed upon by all its stakeholders in 2019.
Many football administrators felt that India is a huge country and more than capable of having a 16-team league. Ultimately, India could subsequently expand it to a standard 18-team league like around the world. The Premier league has 20 teams, The French Ligue 1, the Italian Serie A, the Spanish Liga Nacional also have 20 clubs each while Portugal’s Primeira Liga has 18.
The AIFF announced will launch a 10-team institutional league with public sector undertakings (PSU) teams, where matches will be held on a home-and-away basis. “Hopefully, the institutional league will create job opportunities,” Mr Kalyan said.
A comprehensive grassroots restructuring was also announced by AIFF with a delegation of FIFA’s talent development scheme, headed by FIFA’s chief of global football development Arsene Wenger, flying to India on May 3 to assist in creation of a structure to develop players.
Meanwhile, India coach Igor Stimac has repeatedly voiced the need for a 30-day camp. “We are discussing with the stakeholders over a camp before the Asian Cup,” Mr Kalyan said, before adding that a list of international matches have been lined up starting with the International Cup and SAFF Championship in June and July, followed by the Asian Games in September, Merdeka Cup in October and FIFA international windows in September, October, and November.
