CHENNAI: It looks like the future of Indian football will be decided in the courts. Seven I-League clubs issued a joint statement on Monday, threatening the All India Football Federation (AIFF) with legal action if they demoted the I-League from its status as the top tier of Indian football and installed the Indian Super League in that position.
The clubs in question are Gokulam Kerala, Churchill Brothers, East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Minerva Punjab, Aizawl FC and NEROCA FC. “With media reports indicating that the ISL being announced as the top division league post an executive committee meeting scheduled for July 3, 2019, the I-League clubs are standing united stronger than ever,” the statement, issued by the clubs, said. It claimed that the clubs have decided to approach the appropriate court for relief as soon as any such decision was announced by the AIFF. Defending champs Chennai City were conspicuous by their absence from the meeting.
The development comes after the comments of AIFF secretary Kushal Das regarding the status of the two leagues. “We had said four years back, that as per contractual obligations to the marketing partner, ISL has to be the top league,” Das had said in March. “I won’t say ‘it won’t be the top tier’. But it may not be the top tier.” Reports had emerged that AIFF was going to pull the trigger on this in their July 3 meeting.
Gokulam Kerala president VC Praveen said that if AIFF was aware of contractual obligations, then they shouldn’t have opened a corporate entry into the I-League. The likes of Gokulam, Chennai City and Minerva Punjab had paid a fee to the AIFF to gain corporate entry. “We came in through the corporate entry two years ago. For Chennai City FC and Minerva Punjab, it was three. If our life in the top league was going to be for two years, then they shouldn’t have taken money from us.”
The AIFF responded by issuing a statement. “It is surprising that the clubs have accused the AIFF president about not giving them an audience for their grievances. In fact, the only time they sought an audience was before the commencement of Hero Super Cup, where they were duly informed that the AIFF president will meet them any day between April 10-14, 2019. Despite the assurance, the clubs did not meet the president, and rather prematurely pulled out of the Hero Super Cup, causing huge financial losses..,” it said.