Kolkata: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has invited fresh bids for new teams to participate in the upcoming edition of the I-League which would be held simultaneously with the cash-rich Indian Super League.
Kushal Das, the General Secretary of the AIFF hinted at the fact that the number of teams wouldn’t be more than 10, as now the I-League is left with nine sides, with Bengaluru FC moving to the ISL. “As of now, we have nine teams in the I-League, following the move to the Indian Super League (ISL) of Bengaluru FC,” he said.
He also added, “However, a team may or may not be added depending on how strictly they meet our bidding criteria, because we have had some unsavoury experiences in the past.”
The tender notice of the parent body of Indian football features names of many cities which have never been a part of the I-League before. The notice also says that a club playing in the I-League, “will have the opportunity (if applicable and subject to qualification) to compete in the AFC (Asian Football Confederation’s) club competitions.”
In an interaction with ESPN, Das also asserted the fact that a new team entering the I-League would not be relegated for three seasons, as has been the case in the past four seasons with the teams gaining a direct entry to the competition.
A total of 11 cities are mentioned in the bid from which four are from regions that have played or qualified for the I-League in the past. These four regions are- Bengaluru, Mumbai, Trivandrum and Malappuram although there hasn’t been a professional team coming out of the last two cities in Kerala.
From Bengaluru, which was earlier the home for former champions Bengaluru FC, a team named Ozone FC has shown interest for being a part of the I-League.
Mumbai has also hosted multiple teams, with the former I-League champions and now defunct Mahindra United being one and Mumbai FC, being another, who quite recently have been relegated for the first time ever since their promotion to the I-League in 2008-2009.
Current champions Aizawl FC too had been relegated before they went on to win the league but Kushal Das said that the chances of Mumbai being reinstalled as a team in the top-tier of the I-League are, “highly unlikely.”
The other cities are- New Delhi, Ranchi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bhopal, Lucknow and Ahmedabad, all of which haven’t been associated with the I-League at all. Delhi although has a bit of a connection as it’s Ambedkar Stadium has been the host of some of Jagatjit Cotton & Textile Football Club in the past.
Goan clubs like Salgaocar, Sporting Clube de Goa and Dempo have pulled out of the league despite having the eligibility to participate in the 2016-2017 season.