States like Kerala are having 6 month long sevens season which is keeping the sport alive. In my opinion, state leagues should run in parallel to national leagues and not as a pre season for 2-3 months.
@atuljg the thing is, state leagues begin and end at different times in different states. For eg: CFL lower divisions begin in late June/July and continue till October/November. That's why only put 'some state league's in the pre season bracket.
Kids won't take up as professional footballers if there's work only for 2-3 months. Long leagues are essential if we should progress across all tiers. ISL, I league, 2nd division and the state leagues should all run parallel from June-July to March. Cup competition should also proceed as such. That should be aim.
There should be proper calender from AIFF with windows for cups , state leagues etc. We can go for 16 team league I think 30 matches. 5-6 month long. But rest of the season should be filled with cups and tournaments. Old defunct tournaments should be brought back. AIFF can seek help of their original organizers.
PSU teams should be allowed upto div II to provide competition to the clubs, rather than sham reserve teams assembled by circus franchisees.
This will help provide employment to non-professional players, bring good infra to the game, and also bring back a semblance of an ecosystem to indian football, however limited.
Just wondering. Nita could have allowed this (both MB & EB in ISL) from the beginning itself and killed IL in the first blow. Instead, shrewd businesswoman as she is, she extracted money from a near impossible source, from a non-existing franchisee. Got the maximum she could extract from a difficult situation of her own making, and in exchange for a few years of termoil in Indian football (she didn't care though).
But I must say, IL got stronger in the process. Just compare the shaky and uncertain years of IL when ISL started. Clubs were shutting left right and centre, no publicity, no transmission, rich league strangling the poor elder cousin with parent body looking away, ... problems galore. The problems are still there, but we have a stronger league; we have clubs like Chennai City, Gokulam Kerala, Real Kashmir, and heck, NEROCA. Galleries are overwhelming. Fans are discussing.
It will need another strong blow to finish off IL. Untill then, it will limp along somehow, proclaiming victory for open sports ... and keep on mocking the walled pleasurehouse of the riches, called ISL.
Let's drink to another exciting season of the people's league (till it is allowed to live)!
Yes. I also have same thoughts. I League became more diveresed in getting the teams from pan India. New underdog champions. Surprising winners every season. Anyways we all can support ISL now since we always wanted EB,MB to be in top tier.
just posting here because of the roadmap discussuion.
during gkfc final match just after taking 3-1 lead malayam commntary shaiju damodaran said that if gkfc wins today then they will create history for kerala by making into afc cup and possible ISL. What he meant atcually was bidding but the fans are now asking gkfc to have direct qualified for ISL.
Gkfc managemtn have said that they will not pay any money for joining the league but will qualfiy by merit by wining the I league.
The road map is for the next two years... The winner of I-League will
get a direct slot in ISL purely on sporting merit from 2022. Then, from
2024-25 there will be promotion, relegation where the bottom-placed team
in ISL will be relegated to the second tier and the I-League winner
will be promoted to ISL.
I guess that's is 2022-23 season which is next after the upcoming 2021-22.
I personally feel it is a good decsion. We have all seen the fate of East Bengal. Its better to focus on AFC cup and play with 3+1 as it is. ISL is only different level because of the foreign players. Definitely won't be a easy ride. Just to beat the rivals and claim bragging rights over the rivals ( which it looks why EB joined on such short notice ) is not a wise option.
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Anyways we all can support ISL now since we always wanted EB,MB to be in top tier.