KOCHI: Indian football icon IM Vijayan has thrown his weight behind the I-League by stating that the quality of football there is better than that in the Indian Super League.
In recent years, the I-League has been scripting some fairy-tale stories with minnows Aizawl FC, Minerva Punjab FC and Chennai City FC triumphing over more established clubs. Vijayan believes that this is a testimony to the quality of the league which may soon be stripped of its status as the top division in the country.
“The matches in the I-League are very competitive and it is of high quality. I have always seen that the matches are of good quality. Chennai City played some very good football this year. In the last three years of I-League, three different clubs won the title. Even teams like Real Kashmir showed that they can play really good football. That’s not always the case with ISL,” he said.
I-League teams have been fighting a lonely battle and their latest revolt had been the threat of boycotting the Super Cup. The clubs want the All India Football Federation officials — who at times come off as silent spectators — to address the issues regarding their future. AIFF president Praful Patel has agreed to meet the clubs in April which has prompted the dissenting clubs to reconsider their participation in the Super Cup.
“We cannot say anything until the meetings happen. They should be knowing what is best for Indian football. I can’t say anything about the merger,” he said. In all likelihood, the I-League will be relegated to second division status and the teams won’t get the opportunity to win promotion to the ISL.
“Relegation can be good for a league. The competitiveness will be much higher as teams will fight hard to avoid relegation while lower division clubs will give their all to win promotion. It will only be healthy for club football. Let’s see how things work out,” Vijayan said.
Regardless of I-League’s future, Vijayan underlined the importance of the competition. “The I-League gives opportunities to youngsters. It is very important in developing the next generation. We have seen over the years how I-League has contributed to Indian football.
“As far as the ISL is concerned, more people are starting to watch it. If the I-League gets a similar level of visibility, then you will see that it is a high-quality league. The goals, the skills, everything is really good. We have seen in the Super Cup that I-League teams can give them a serious fight.”