FIFA and AFC visit Kolkata giants to discuss ISL future

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Kolkata, Sep 16: The two-member team representing FIFA and AFC visited three Kolkata clubs - Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, and Mohammedan Sporting.

The three clubs from the City of Joy, that are more than a century old, briefed the FIFA-AFC representatives about their legacy and contribution to Indian football.

FIFA’s Nic Coward and AFC’s Alex Phillips, accompanied by AIFF representatives Sunanda Dhar and Chirag Tanna took a tour of the clubs to have a look at their infrastructure.

The club officials stated their point of view on the roadmap of Indian football and also mentioned that they demand one single top league in India where they would like to participate.

With the ISL and I-League debacle going on for some time, the future of Indian football has been discussed a lot in recent times and the superpower and popularity of the Kolkata giants cannot be totally ignored under any circumstances.

After the meeting in East Bengal, club official Debabrata Sarkar said, “We said we want one single league operating with 18 teams which will have promotion and relegation system. We also told them about the club’s legacy and our contribution to Indian football in the past 98 years.

“We clearly mentioned that there is no question of paying an exorbitant franchise fee. We can pay an entry fee provided it is reasonable.”

According to the ISL norms, if a club has to join the league, they have to pay a hefty franchise fee to the organisers IMG-R. Bengaluru FC joined the tournament this year after spending four seasons in I-League by splashing a huge fee but the Kolkata giants have stressed on the idea against paying such a huge amount.

All the Kolkata clubs stressed that a decision should be made on the future of Indian football keeping in mind their legacy and history.

The FIFA-AFC representatives will be meeting every top club in India and will do a market survey on the basis of which they will file a draft report which is expected to be submitted to the AIFF by November.