Suman Chakravorty: Fresh air for the 7 rebel I-League clubs, as The AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das has made it clear in an exclusive interaction with xtratime.in that the claim of a unified league in Indian football is in the process to get implemented.
In the interaction, Mr Das said, “Well, I don’t know why there is so much confusion. We are planning a lot for ‘one league’. It is not that a merged league is something which can immediately solve all the problems. We are in no hurry. The main issue is the financial sustainability of the clubs. We are discussing it for a suitable solution.”
Mr Das also made it clear, “The basic roadmap was shared long back. There should be a single league with promotion and relegation. We have to analyze a bit more before taking the ultimate decision.”
Now it is to see how the I-League clubs who are so annoyed with the federation, respond to the situation. Delighted Minerva Punjab owner Ranjit Bajaj told XtraTime, “Nothing could get better than this. If they had told this early, there was no point of going for a fight against the AIFF.”
Meanwhile, Mr Das also made a significant statement, as he said, “There is no possibility of announcing any punishment for the I-League clubs who refused to play the Super Cup. Tomorrow, after the league committee meeting, we will send the matter to the Disciplinary Committee. They will decide about any punishment.”
On the flip side, East Bengal official Debabrata Sarkar met Kushal Das yesterday, when asked, The AIFF General Secretary said, “Yes he wanted to meet with me. So we met. He told me that playing the game is their priority. They might have not played the Super Cup, but eager to play The ISL.”