Praful Patel Biography

No wonder, Indians have responded to Indian Super League (ISL) in the most remarkable and overwhelming manner. But one question that has been constantly been under speculation that whether the popularity of ISL will hamper the standards of I-League. AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das has reiterated that I-League will always remain the priority and he has definitely not ruled out the possibility of the ISL and I-League merger. 

Drawing lines with the comment of AIFF President Praful Patel, Kushal Das said that I-League will remain the national league of the country and this is the only platform based on which the players will be selected for the international and Asian tournaments. It has been made clear by Das that those clubs which desired to play in the AFC Cup or AFC Champions League will have to compete in the I-League. The priorities of I-League cannot be underestimated in anyway and the importance of the league is even enhanced with Hero MotoCorp being the official sponsor of the matches.

With Praful Patel contributions as an asset, AIFF is moving ahead to an age of professionalism. Every country has its own major league and merging both these tournaments might fetch something more fruitful in the coming future. But giving one league will be beneficial for the players and framing the tournament schedule. The primary objective is to create one league which could be stretched for six months.

It is true that ISL has played an instrumental role in bringing the necessary audiences back to the stadium; there have been criticism from the coaches for the compartmentalized scheduling which has led to the fatigue of the players. There have been back to back matches for the players with two months long ISL, the Hero Federation Cup and the five months long I-League. Das further added that scheduling is a real concern. There are constraints like summer and monsoon that reduces the playing time for the players. Das further said that both the tournaments are equally important and AIFF is planning to create a timeframe which can fit both with ease.

I-League is a much flexible tournament for the players as it organizes the match on week-apart time. There for it gives a much more comfortable time for the players, whereas the ISL is a much more grueling league. Das said, “We plan to have double headers during the weekends so that it becomes easier for the players.” Last year Bengaluru FC could enter I-League whereas JSW Sports won a bid. Bharat FC would be making their successful debut in I-League. Das revealed AIFF will continue with the strategy as it works with the objective to spread football to all parts of the country. The primary intention is to broaden the base of I-League and also to corporate more clubs with the potential to improve the infrastructure to take Indian Football forward.