|
|
I-League: The AIFF Plans To Revamp The I-League On All Fronts
Sit back and review...
01-Jul-2010 7:29:00 AM
By Rahul Bali
The I-League has been the subject of debate for a long time now given that not much has changed since its inception as it remains professional only on paper which is an accepted fact in all circles. In its bid to change the same, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) had asked the clubs to fulfil the AFC Club Licensing criteria by the end of this year and only those that do shall be part of the I-League from the 2011-12 season.
Prior to this being decided, the AIFF had mulled over starting the 2010-11 season post the Asian Cup in February or March and include only those clubs that manage to meet the essential standard mentioned above. However, a consensus could not be reached as a few members in the Executive Committee were not in favour of the March to September season as it would imply that the players would once again have to suffer the ignominy of having to playing under soaring temperatures.
With Mahindra United disbanding their team, the question of as to who would replace them has been doing the rounds with last season’s relegated clubs – Shillong Lajong and Sporting Clube De Goa along with Vasco SC, who finished third in the I-League second division leading the pack and have made representations for their case.
Thereafter, the AIFF treasurer was quoted in the media saying of the federation having had a few discussions on how to include Shillong Lajong in the forthcoming I-League citing the crowd and the north east factors.
It is learnt that the AIFF President, Praful Patel shall sit along with the I-League clubs next week and thereby discuss the future of the national league where they shall also decide as to when it has to kick-off.
The primary challenge of the I-League starting in March 2011 being that since all the clubs have more or less completed their squad, from now until March they would play no AIFF tournament and continue to pay hefty wages to their players which is unreasonable to the core. Whether the clubs would accept the new proposal remains to be seen.
By The Power Of Patel!
Meanwhile with the AIFF already signing four year contracts with players to be part of the AIFF XI team, the clubs who don’t intend to release their players for this cause will be spoken to by Praful Patel himself with the hope that they won’t reply in the negative to someone of his repute and power.
But what if this team with no foreign players would finish at the bottom of the I-League table? Would it get relegated?
The AIFF plans to follow the J-League model which when it began didn’t have any provision for relegation and encouraged the clubs to develop themselves which in turn, enhanced the league in the long run.
The I-League clubs spend their entire budget on assimilating a squad and thus, the youth and fan development goes for a toss. Probably, the clubs could be asked to spend only 60 to 70% of their finance on the players while the rest has to be spent on ensuring that the club has a good system to produce players as well have its own training ground in the years to come. And with the relegation to be chopped off for the next three years or so, the clubs don’t have to undergo a tug-of-war to sign the prized names in an overpriced market which gives them the necessary license to focus on the future and improve the aura around them.
A move in this direction is certainly worth praising as it ensures that the budgets of the clubs are well utilized and it also gives them an opportunity to get their branding and sponsorship deals in place with the community development programmes aimed at building a strong fan base.
If this plan actualizes, it is truly a thumbs-up move for Indian football and shall guarantee some progress at a time where almost everyone is standstill.
What Do YOU Think? Is This A Positive Step By The AIFF Or Just Another One Which Shall Go Unnoticed?
Prior to this being decided, the AIFF had mulled over starting the 2010-11 season post the Asian Cup in February or March and include only those clubs that manage to meet the essential standard mentioned above. However, a consensus could not be reached as a few members in the Executive Committee were not in favour of the March to September season as it would imply that the players would once again have to suffer the ignominy of having to playing under soaring temperatures.
With Mahindra United disbanding their team, the question of as to who would replace them has been doing the rounds with last season’s relegated clubs – Shillong Lajong and Sporting Clube De Goa along with Vasco SC, who finished third in the I-League second division leading the pack and have made representations for their case.
Thereafter, the AIFF treasurer was quoted in the media saying of the federation having had a few discussions on how to include Shillong Lajong in the forthcoming I-League citing the crowd and the north east factors.
It is learnt that the AIFF President, Praful Patel shall sit along with the I-League clubs next week and thereby discuss the future of the national league where they shall also decide as to when it has to kick-off.
The primary challenge of the I-League starting in March 2011 being that since all the clubs have more or less completed their squad, from now until March they would play no AIFF tournament and continue to pay hefty wages to their players which is unreasonable to the core. Whether the clubs would accept the new proposal remains to be seen.
By The Power Of Patel!
Meanwhile with the AIFF already signing four year contracts with players to be part of the AIFF XI team, the clubs who don’t intend to release their players for this cause will be spoken to by Praful Patel himself with the hope that they won’t reply in the negative to someone of his repute and power.
But what if this team with no foreign players would finish at the bottom of the I-League table? Would it get relegated?
The AIFF plans to follow the J-League model which when it began didn’t have any provision for relegation and encouraged the clubs to develop themselves which in turn, enhanced the league in the long run.
The I-League clubs spend their entire budget on assimilating a squad and thus, the youth and fan development goes for a toss. Probably, the clubs could be asked to spend only 60 to 70% of their finance on the players while the rest has to be spent on ensuring that the club has a good system to produce players as well have its own training ground in the years to come. And with the relegation to be chopped off for the next three years or so, the clubs don’t have to undergo a tug-of-war to sign the prized names in an overpriced market which gives them the necessary license to focus on the future and improve the aura around them.
A move in this direction is certainly worth praising as it ensures that the budgets of the clubs are well utilized and it also gives them an opportunity to get their branding and sponsorship deals in place with the community development programmes aimed at building a strong fan base.
If this plan actualizes, it is truly a thumbs-up move for Indian football and shall guarantee some progress at a time where almost everyone is standstill.
What Do YOU Think? Is This A Positive Step By The AIFF Or Just Another One Which Shall Go Unnoticed?
Our 
provides the best breaking news online and our 
football fan community is unmatched worldwide. Never miss a thing again!
provides the best breaking news online and our football fan community is unmatched worldwide. Never miss a thing again!Inside Goal.Com
-
Cartoon: Rio Ferdinand may have the last laugh
Goal.com cartoonist Omar Momani gives us his unique take on the football news of the day...
-
Euro 1996 Legends: Matthias Sammer, Germany
The heir to Franz Beckenbaur's throne, Sammer's excellent displays as sweeper for Germany led them to their third European title...
-
Euro 2012 Trivia: Which team has the fewest combined caps among them?
Which is the least experienced team in Euro 2012? Time to test your knowledge, mate
-
Vote for your Goal.com World Player of the Week
Have your say on who you think should win Goal.com's weekly honour
-
Euro 2012 a timely respite for depressed Spain
With 24 per cent unemployment, wage cuts and little hope for improvement in the short term, the continental competition will at least take people's minds off their sad situation