Internet Desk: The drama regarding the competition between I-League and ISL to become the top-tier league and it’s probability for a merger come to an end as The AIFF President declared I-League to be the official league in the country. Today, in a highly important meeting held in Mumbai with the Kolkata Giants East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, The AIFF President said, “I-League is the official league in the country. ISL will be a tournament.”
In the meeting The AIFF President also said that both the competitions will be seven months’ affair from now on. Though Mr. Patel couldn’t quite answer the question when Mohun Bagan official Debashish Dutta asked him about the criteria to play the AFC Champions League. The Bagan official told www.xtratime.in , “When I enquired of Mr Patel if the I-League champions would get the opportunity to play in the ACL, as he declared the competition to be the official league in India, he failed to give a satisfactory answer of my question.” Though the AIFF President told the clubs that he would ask AFC in the AFC Congress in Bahrain about the competition to play the AFC Champions League.
East Bengal official Dr Shanti Ranjan Dasgupta told XtraTime, “The AIFF President told us in the meeting that the I-League will remain the official league in the country and the ISL will just be a tournament. He will tell us about the ACL qualification criteria after the AFC Congress. Though right at the start we made it very clear that we will no way play outside of Kolkata in any circumstances.:
Alongside the honourable President of the AIFF Mr Praful Patel, General Secretary Mr Kushal Das, Senior Vice-President Mr Subrata Dutta were present in the meeting with the East Bengal officials Debabrata Sarkar, Dr Shanti Ranjan Dasgupta and Dr Pranab Dasgupta and Mohun Bagan officials Srinjoy Bose and Debashish Dutta.
In the meeting, it was made sure that there will be no merger and both the leagues will go on running separately.