‘No football in India without Mohun Bagan, East Bengal’

The All India Football Federation’s proposal to make the Indian Super League as the premier competition in the country, has evoked strong reactions in footballing circles.

The AIFF’s pushing ISL as the top tier of Indian club football, relegating the I-League (to be called League One) into a second division competition will in the long run hurt the soccer scene in the country, is the general feeling.

Two clubs from the I-League will be eligible to make the ISL, depending on certain set criteria.

Says former India and East Bengal skipper Manoranjan Bhattacha-rya, “I oppose this proposal because there will be no football in India without clubs like Bagan and East Bengal who have a huge fan following. I-League must be there,” he says.

However, Mumbai City FC defender and I-League player Ashuthosh Mehta believes it is good as long as more and more Indian players get the chance to showcase their talent. “Whichever the top league, all I want is that no Indian players should be wasted,” is his opinion.

Adds I-League second division club Hindustan FC chairman D.K. Bose, “The BCCI never scrapped its domestic tournaments for the IPL. But the AIFF is doing just that. In just the third year of ISL, they are planning to put an end to every other tournament to promote the Super League.

“It is happening at the cost of other tournaments because commercial partners are managing the ISL and are marketing partners of the AIFF,” Bose said.

The debate on the issue is only getting started even though the AIFF has rolled out a comprehensive plan for a four-tier competition, that however, has no place for events across India that have been running for years. That, plus the fate of clubs that have shouldered the task of unearthing and grooming talent for decades now, remains the crux of the matter.