Football will suffer if legacy clubs shut shop

It is a period of turbulence and transition for Indian football. The expert committee of the All India Football Federation that includes former Indian skipper Baichung Bhutia has stated that the Indian Super League-I League merger will never happen. Instead, the group has recommended promotions to the ISL so that more teams can participate and it can be held for a period of seven months.

It is still not clear if the expansion of the ISL means including India’s most successful and historical clubs East Bengal and Mohun Bagan and the professionally-run Bengaluru FC or more franchise teams. Which teams are going to play in the I-League is still not defined.

Already, I-League outfits like Salgaocar and Sporting Clube de Goa are protesting that if in the future the league is going to be a second division, they are thinking of closing down. ISL clubs have owners with deep pockets.

They are marketing their teams and paying the Indian players well and even sending them abroad for exposure trips.

Delhi Dynamos are in England and Sweden and have played a friendly against Premiership side West Bromwich Albion and FC Goa are in Brazil. The top Indian players will opt to sign for the ISL clubs; especially if they are playing in what will be the premier division (either the ISL or some new name may be introduced).

If there are simultaneous leagues (both ISL and a truncated I-League) for seven months, more players will get employment and the base of talent may increase. At present, the same set of players take part in both the ISL and I-league.

But the immediate future looks bleak. The traditional clubs in India are disgruntled as they feel that the AIFF due to economic considerations is favouring the ISL clubs. If more historical I-League clubs close down, Indian football will suffer in the long run as just eight or 10 elite clubs will not help in spreading the game across the country.

The AIFF has a Hamlet like dilemma — to opt only for the economically strong clubs or professionalise the legacy clubs by helping them acquire sponsorship and monitoring their expansion plans. Replacing one set of clubs with another is not a long term solution for the betterment of Indian football.

Meanwhile, Stephen Constantine, who has chosen 30 debutants since taking over as national coach in March, 2015, may not be retained once his contract expires in March next year. This would be unfortunate as Constantine has improved the fitness and confidence levels of the national team and got them playing effectively.

Constantine is paying the price for being outspoken, when he expressed unhappiness that a preparatory camp for the World Cup qualifiers in 2015 could not happen as the ISL franchises did not release players. He also keeps harping on the fact that foreigners of Indian origin would help the national team, a policy that the Indian government does not allow.

The AIFF also does not want to hike his monthly salary of $20,000 ('13.5 lakhs approx) if a new contract is signed.

It is heard feelers have been sent to the former Bengaluru FC coach Ashley Westwood to take over as national coach in April 2017.