Salgaocar FC, Sporting Clube de Goa withdraw from I-League
Two of Indian football's long-standing outfits, Salgaocar FC and Sporting Clube de Goa, today decided to "withdraw" from the forthcoming season of I-League.
Published : Jun 24, 2016 19:27 IST
Two of Indian football's long-standing outfits, Salgaocar FC and Sporting Clube de Goa, today decided to “withdraw” from the forthcoming season of the I-League over the AIFF's decision to restructure the domestic league system.
The decision was made public in a joint statement issued by the two Goa-based clubs.
The AIFF, which on May 17 met various stakeholders, including its marketing partners IMG-Reliance, virtually recognised ISL as the country's premier league as per its draft plan, while deciding to form a three-tier football system in India from 2017-18.
“Over the past few weeks, Salgaocar Football Club and Sporting Clube de Goa have had several rounds of discussions and have deliberated the impact that the May 17th proposal will have on the state of the sport. It is clear that the proposal is highly discriminatory, goes against sporting merit, is unworkable for I-League clubs and hampers Goa, which is the best represented state in the I-League, the most,” the two clubs said in a statement.
Read: >Mohun Bagan,East Bengal blast AIFF after two I-league teams quit
It added, “Therefore, rather than waiting for another year to face the inevitable, Salgaocar Football Club and Sporting Clube de Goa have decided to take the painful decision to withdraw from the forthcoming edition of the I-League.”
The AIFF has also faced opposition to its proposed plans from legendary clubs such as Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. The exit of Salgaocar and Sporting Clube de Goa will come as another blow.
Detailing the sequence of events from the May 17 meeting, the two Goan heavyweights called AIFF's proposals 'shocking' and 'disheartening'.
“At this meeting a detailed proposal was presented, which is heavily biased against the I-League and its clubs. Not only does it relegate the I-League to a second tier league, but also does away with promotion, thereby replacing merit with a franchisee fee as the primary criteria for participating in the top league.
“The ISL, hitherto termed as only a tournament by the AIFF, would leapfrog the I-League to become the nation's top league, with no relegation. This was shocking and disheartening, especially considering the repeated claims made by representatives of AIFF and FIFA that the I-League was the premier league competition in the country.”
As per the draft, the Indian Super League (ISL) will form the top tier of competition without the provision for relegation; the I-League and its lower division will become the second and third divisions, with relegation and promotion only taking place between these two tiers of competition.
The statement further said, “The lack of response from the AIFF is telling, and makes it clear that the fate of the world’s most popular sport in the world’s second most populous nation would be decided unilaterally.
“We therefore have no option but to believe that the AIFF will enforce the May 17 proposal, which would promote the ISL to the nation’s premier tournament with a ‘pay to play’ franchisee model with no promotion or relegation. Furthermore, it guarantees the winner of the ISL representation at the AFC level, with the other available spot going to the winner of a tournament that again is heavily skewed in favour of ISL franchisees.
“This effectively removes any incentive for a club team to participate in the restructured I-League, given that monetary incentives were never a contributing factor.
“The lack of the latter was ensured by the AIFF who unfairly sold the rights to the I-League without consulting all its stakeholders. Remarkably, while demanding professionalism and fiscal responsibility from I-League clubs without itself reflecting the same, the AIFF has still not settled dues to I-League clubs dating as far back as 2008.”
The AIFF expressed its regret over the decision taken by these clubs.
In a press release, AIFF General Secretary Mr. Kushal Das said: “We along with our Marketing partners have been very transparent in sharing our thoughts with all stakeholders regarding the way forward for Indian Football. It was clearly stated that the shared draft was only a proposal and we would like suggestions from various stakeholders. The AIFF has been receiving various suggestions and the last one was received only a week back.
“Since it involves setting the roadmap for Indian Football every aspect needs to be carefully considered. So the assumption made by the clubs that AIFF has not responded is presumptuous and speculative."
He also added, that while “there is no denying the contribution made by the clubs who have been associated with Indian Football for a long time, it was also evident that they were unable to create a fan base to sustain themselves.
“The purpose of the proposal was to enable clubs to create a sustainable model for the future which has unfortunately been wrongly interpreted by some of the Clubs,” he further stated.
Reacting to the allegations of the clubs about financial matters, Mr. Sunando Dhar, CEO, I-League said: “The amount for fielding age-group sides in the respective competitions of AIFF which were pending since 2008, was agreed in an I-League committee meeting that the same would be adjusted against the I-League participation fees. This has been in practice for the last 3-4 years.”