Ya..thats correct.J leage is the perfact example.But at this moment we dont have that amount of indian player(may 200 player needed) to expand. At this juncture or within in 2-3 years that may not be possible to play with 18 teams or expand with this kind of poll talent.In that case main merger league or Isl will be mundane. I just want to combine money(investor) & supporter(legacy) to play at same field to encourage & popular among all football fans.
Agree, that's why I said start with 10 (ISL teams + Bengaluru FC and East Bengal/Mohun Bagan) and then expand from there. Maybe see if we can get teams in Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Punjab, Shillong etc. or maybe add teams from Kerala, Kolkata, Goa etc. Maybe expand every couple years or so 2-4 or something (spit balling here)
As for the legacy thing, might be tough now with the Goan clubs being what they are, the Kolkata clubs are in, Shillong Lajong and Aizawl won't get in, Bengaluru FC is in, and Mumbai don't really have a "legacy"
What I want to see is the ISL teams gain their own culture. It all feels forced. If an ISL team does not want fireworks, especially after goals and stuff, don't force it. Don't force ISL teams to play the ISL music all the time... allow them to play their own music. Manchester United have Glory, Glory Man United, Liverpool have their music, Arsenal has theres, let the ISL teams do it themselves. That is what made going to a New York Red Bulls game not feel like a "franchise". There was music that was only for the Red Bulls, announcements only for the Red Bulls, fireworks in Red Bull colors. Nothing felt forced. Bengaluru FC have done a great job in this aspect.
Can we discuss the ownership of the new league while we are dwelling on the structure? That is the primary issue for unification. FIFA do not allow private league on topmost tier, IMGR won't let go the ownership of a potential cash cow. Unless this is sorted out, all talks of structure etc will come to zilch. We will continue to have two leagues, and hover around the 200 mark.
Isn't the league currently not even "owned" by IMG-Reliance but by Football Sports Development? It is like how the Premier League is operated by the FAPL Ltd, I believe the J. League is operated separate of the Japanese Football Association etc. In the end, I think it will be done the same way it is in the US, with ISL being sanctioned as the first division by the AIFF etc.]
But ya, with a "merger" or whatever, major restructuring would probably be needed.
In that case, what is the composition of FSDL? Is AIFF a part of this? Or ISL clubs? Will I-league clubs be taken in it (that is, whoever are taken in the league)?
If not, then it is IMG-R by another name. I don't think FIFA would be fooled with this.
Agree 100%. Most likely a separate branch of IMG-Reliance with STAR Sports also owning part of it I imagine or something like that. Not sure how FIFA would feel as I am not sure how different it is from say MLS and the USSF for example but I am sure they would want the AIFF to have some power
FIFA isn't exactly run by saints....expect IMG to convince them...only way to have a truly representative & merit based national league is if the new president of AIFF shows some spine
Since this discussion was heading in the direction of the ownership of the new League and I have decent knowledge on that subject i would wish to clarify certain points.
The ISL is currently owned and operated by Football Sports Development Limited which is a joint venture of IMG Reliance and Star Sports. AIFF are part of the League just because it needs FIFA sanction as any League in a country needs to go with the National Association. That Praful Patel, Sunando Dhar and Kushal Das don't even have a say in what toilet paper is used in the team dressing rooms for the ISL matches is another matter. So currently all disciplinary decisions and match official appointments are handled by AIFF but FSDL is the "unofficial" boss when it comes to imposing of all disciplinary sanctions as was seen in the FC Goa case last year. The AIFF are mere puppets. Rest everything (commercial, operations, implementation) is handled by FSDL only.
Now if and when the new League becomes longer with FIFA approval, there will have to be significant structural overhaul. AIFF would need to be more involved. You have to understand that though the EPL and the J-League are separate entities they are under the umbrella of the National Federation, which is officially the case with ISL but we know that has never happened. The FIFA Statutes would have to be respected and with it the various statutory bodies of AIFF. Though the ISL can remain a separate entity, it would have to respect the decisions of the AIFF. In England a body formed with representatives of all clubs usually takes decisions pertaining to the commercial, operational aspects of the League. Here this will have the change and Indian footballs's First lady will not be able to rule with an iron hand. Then there is another matter of Sunando Dhar and Kushal Das becoming redundant if the ISL becomes the number one league in India.
Thirdly, as per FIFA Statutes, no third party can own a League in a country. At the maximum, they could have operation and marketing rights for a period of time which has to be the rebid for in a transparent manner, which means the role of FSDL would be under the spotlight. So there are a lot of issues to ponder upon.
Thanks for clearing the air. I was saying the same all along: the ownership of the league in of prime importance. And PP, SD & KD are the toilet papers.
Comments
At this juncture or within in 2-3 years that may not be possible to play with 18 teams or expand with this kind of poll talent.In that case main merger league or Isl will be mundane.
I just want to combine money(investor) & supporter(legacy) to play at same field to encourage & popular among all football fans.
As for the legacy thing, might be tough now with the Goan clubs being what they are, the Kolkata clubs are in, Shillong Lajong and Aizawl won't get in, Bengaluru FC is in, and Mumbai don't really have a "legacy"
What I want to see is the ISL teams gain their own culture. It all feels forced. If an ISL team does not want fireworks, especially after goals and stuff, don't force it. Don't force ISL teams to play the ISL music all the time... allow them to play their own music. Manchester United have Glory, Glory Man United, Liverpool have their music, Arsenal has theres, let the ISL teams do it themselves. That is what made going to a New York Red Bulls game not feel like a "franchise". There was music that was only for the Red Bulls, announcements only for the Red Bulls, fireworks in Red Bull colors. Nothing felt forced. Bengaluru FC have done a great job in this aspect.
But ya, with a "merger" or whatever, major restructuring would probably be needed.
If not, then it is IMG-R by another name. I don't think FIFA would be fooled with this.
The ISL is currently owned and operated by Football Sports Development Limited which is a joint venture of IMG Reliance and Star Sports. AIFF are part of the League just because it needs FIFA sanction as any League in a country needs to go with the National Association. That Praful Patel, Sunando Dhar and Kushal Das don't even have a say in what toilet paper is used in the team dressing rooms for the ISL matches is another matter. So currently all disciplinary decisions and match official appointments are handled by AIFF but FSDL is the "unofficial" boss when it comes to imposing of all disciplinary sanctions as was seen in the FC Goa case last year. The AIFF are mere puppets. Rest everything (commercial, operations, implementation) is handled by FSDL only.
Now if and when the new League becomes longer with FIFA approval, there will have to be significant structural overhaul. AIFF would need to be more involved. You have to understand that though the EPL and the J-League are separate entities they are under the umbrella of the National Federation, which is officially the case with ISL but we know that has never happened. The FIFA Statutes would have to be respected and with it the various statutory bodies of AIFF. Though the ISL can remain a separate entity, it would have to respect the decisions of the AIFF. In England a body formed with representatives of all clubs usually takes decisions pertaining to the commercial, operational aspects of the League. Here this will have the change and Indian footballs's First lady will not be able to rule with an iron hand. Then there is another matter of Sunando Dhar and Kushal Das becoming redundant if the ISL becomes the number one league in India.
Thirdly, as per FIFA Statutes, no third party can own a League in a country. At the maximum, they could have operation and marketing rights for a period of time which has to be the rebid for in a transparent manner, which means the role of FSDL would be under the spotlight. So there are a lot of issues to ponder upon.