There was a report that FSDL is threatening AIFF to declare ISL as the no 1 league of the country and push I-League down the gutter. And All India Football Federation probably do so and declare the same on 3rd of July. It’s sad really sad. Clubs like Mahindra & Mahindra, JCT, Dempo Sports Club, DSK Shivajians, Sporting Club de Goa, Salgaonkar and other clubs In total 25 professional Football clubs disappeared from main stream Indian Football in last 15 years but our parent body AIFF is still asleep. What is the requirement of money if one day football doesn’t exist in our country?
FSDL an organisation founded by Reliance for ISL to replace IMG Reliance Pvt Ltd which is collaboration between IMGR and Reliance. In 2017 IMG part ways from Indian Super League and Reliance had to create FSDL to run the show. Now how and why IMG discontinue is a million dollar question but In this country no one have the guts to raise the question to mighty Reliance and their integrity.
They have made a contract to AIFF in 2010 or may be in 2011 which is recently disclosed by one of the so called rebel name Ranjit Bajaj the owner of Minerva Punjab Football Club whose academy gave many talents to Indian Football in recent time. In that contract Reliance offer a healthy 700 cr Rupees to AIFF for a span of 15 years and in return they are to take care of the marketing and other promotional aspects of the Football. They offered various development program and restructure the existing I-league or to create a New Professional League which will be the no 1 League in this country. Fare enough. And hence they introduce ISL a franchise base tournament mostly influenced by famous cricketing tournament named IPL. But, in what terms AIFF made contract with FSDL is best known to them only.
Along with couple of leading Bengali News paper and few others National News agencies like Times of India did report recently that FSDL has stopped the payment to AIFF as per their contract and threatened them to terminate the same. They demanded that AIFF must declare ISL as the top division league of India by June 2019, Dissolve I-league and it’s telecast, make hectic fine to those clubs who have not participated in the Super Cup and many more. The point FSDL want AIFF to do on immediate effect is that.
They have made a contract to AIFF in 2010 or may be in 2011 which is recently disclosed by one of the so called rebel name Ranjit Bajaj the owner of Minerva Punjab Football Club whose academy gave many talents to Indian Football in recent time. In that contract Reliance offer a healthy 700 cr Rupees to AIFF for a span of 15 years and in return they are to take care of the marketing and other promotional aspects of the Football. They offered various development program and restructure the existing I-league or to create a New Professional League which will be the no 1 League in this country. Fare enough. And hence they introduce ISL a franchise base tournament mostly influenced by famous cricketing tournament named IPL. But, in what terms AIFF made contract with FSDL is best known to them only.
Along with couple of leading Bengali News paper and few others National News agencies like Times of India did report recently that FSDL has stopped the payment to AIFF as per their contract and threatened them to terminate the same. They demanded that AIFF must declare ISL as the top division league of India by June 2019, Dissolve I-league and it’s telecast, make hectic fine to those clubs who have not participated in the Super Cup and many more. The point FSDL want AIFF to do on immediate effect is that.
- Declare ISL the no 1 league of India
- FSDL was angry about AIFF handing out lenient fines (10 lakhs and 5 lakhs) to the I-League clubs who boycotted the Super Cup and wanted AIFF to appeal to its own Disciplinary Committee and ensure the clubs face much harsher fines. And suddenly AIFF increase the fines from 10 lacs to 27 lacs for not participating in Super Cup.
- FSDL does not want AIFF to let U Mumba FC or any other corporate club to enter the I-League.
- FSDL is against broadcasting any I-League match on TV from now on.
- I-league clubs have to pay the same amount as ISL club for the Stadiums as in Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangon hosted both I-league and ISL matches where ATK has to pay 15 lacs where as the total cost of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal was mere 30-40 thousand.
- Ranjit Bajaj permanently banned from Indian Football.
When in India most number of peoples are attracted to Cricket World Cup, Reliance tactfully issued a letter which simply threatened the AIFF and then stop the first installment of payment which they supposed to gave AIFF by beginning of April this year. Now AIFF in severe crisis and shortage of funds had no option to obey their obligator Reliance. And by appealing against their own disciplinary committee to increase the fine from 10 lacs to 27 lacs they made their intention very clear.
They also stopped U-Mumba a corporate team of famous film producer Ronny Screwala which will supposedly took part in this season’s I-league. And their pre-schedule trials for building of their team.
Now a promoter like Reliance deserve the upper hand from AIFF but the things they have demanded is quite unpractical and unlawful also. But association of I-league clubs is not AIFF. It is a parent body of Indian Football whose General Secretary is Kushal Das who was a part of IMG-Reliance and President Praful Patel who is currently gone missing after the election and currently on the radar of Enforcement Directorate who is questioning his integrity during his tenure as a Aviation Minister. Now, we should not have any doubt that AIFF is currently run by Reliance and it doesn’t have the backbone to act as a Footballing Guardian of the Country and make bold decision.
They also stopped U-Mumba a corporate team of famous film producer Ronny Screwala which will supposedly took part in this season’s I-league. And their pre-schedule trials for building of their team.
Now a promoter like Reliance deserve the upper hand from AIFF but the things they have demanded is quite unpractical and unlawful also. But association of I-league clubs is not AIFF. It is a parent body of Indian Football whose General Secretary is Kushal Das who was a part of IMG-Reliance and President Praful Patel who is currently gone missing after the election and currently on the radar of Enforcement Directorate who is questioning his integrity during his tenure as a Aviation Minister. Now, we should not have any doubt that AIFF is currently run by Reliance and it doesn’t have the backbone to act as a Footballing Guardian of the Country and make bold decision.
Sources of news also suggest that AIFF has called for an Executive Committee meeting on 3rd of July and they will probably declare ISL as the no.1 league of this Country. FSDL earlier this year did make an effort to include East Bengal and Mohun Bagan in this year ISL but that to with funny offers. When Quess group asked FSDL about their future plan and the security of their investment FSDL were not conclusive enough to convince the Corporate Sponsor of East Bengal. And for Mohun Bagan they had gone one step further they want Mohun Bagan and ATK to merge and comes as one team which certainly for Mohun Bagan officials and for ATK management was not accepted. Now if this year on I-league disappear from Indian Football it’s a massive loss. Because, just a year back AFC awarded AIFF for I-League as the most emerging League in Asia. Reliance did make an genuine effort to promote Indian Football recently but Overall, there had never been so much negative press about ISL. Questions were being raised about whether the tournament's franchise fee-centric business model was viable at all, given mounting losses and low returns compared to the huge costs of promoting and marketing the tournament incurred every season.
Meanwhile, I-League for some reason was getting more attention than ever. The top flight league had seen its popularity increase for the seventh straight season, despite having practically no marketing budget, many 2 pm kick-offs and being stuck on Star Sports 3, the channel with the least reach in the whole network. The average attendance had increased for most clubs, and awareness about the top division league was at an all time high due to the success of new clubs like Aizawl FC, NEROCA, Chennai City FC and Real Kashmir FC that brought in new fanbase that never got represented in Indian football before. Because of many unattractive and non competitive matches in ISL and fairytale climax of I-League for last 2 years actually helped I-league to increase their popularity and people who have attracted to Indian Football because of ISL are now fond of I-League matches mainly because of it’s competitiveness. For last 5 years many new comers emerged as the winner in I-League where is in ISL picture almost clear after half of the season. Many football loving smart people spot this difference very easily and that is the reason I-League gain major attraction from Kashmir to Kerala in recent years. Probably this made Reliance angry where they found that the effort made by them are actually helping AIFF and I-league to develop further. And many ISL teams threatened to quit after hectic loss for last 5 years.
In any case, if AIFF does relegate them, the I-League clubs have no option but to go to court against the decision. The question is, how much of a chance they have.
Here, the situation gets further complicated. The clubs who got into I-League via corporate entry signed a contract with AIFF that explicitly states that if the Federation decides another league will be the new top flight of the country, these teams will not have any claim in being a part of it; they'll have to play in the second tier.
This means Minerva Punjab, Chennai City and Gokulam Kerala have all signed away their claim to play in top flight by right. The only way they can get into ISL is if FSDL allows them to come in through the bidding process. Neither are the clubs interested in paying hefty franchise fees, nor are FSDL overly keen to welcome them into the ISL fold. So we can count that out as a possibility. 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.
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