Apparently a quote from an official about "merger": "We are hoping the merger takes place soon. That way, even we will have clarity on the names we are considering. The person should be willing to leave behind his family for 6-7 months. A longer league means good money for the manager. The merger would not only benefit the clubs, but also lead to the development of Indian football. The best part would be, the merged league would come under the purview of FIFA and AFC."
The meeting that has been called for the 17th of May by Prafool Patel is a complete eye-wash for all intents and purposes: The decisions that have been made by Chirag Tanna & co. on behalf of the owners ( IMG-R and Star Sports) were taken almost 3 months back.
Here are a few sneak preview of the decisions , as leaked by sources at Star Sports / AIFF / ISL clubs & agents ...
The I-League will continue in 2017 in its current format ,BUT this will be the last season for the I-League in this current avatar.
In 2017-18 they will look to follow the lead of the IPL and increase the number of teams from 8 to 10 teams. The 2 new teams will most likely be a new Kolkata franchise ( East Bengal must find a co-owner / sponsor ) , and Mohun Bagan have been recommended to be merged with ATK. { as DIAGEO will probably stop the sponsorship , this would make sense } ....a comical situation of Real Madrid partnering East Bengal could see "a Madrid derby" in KOLKATA
The 2nd Franchise City will be BANGALORE , hold your horses @Maddie ;;; and any other BFC fans , as this doesn't automatically mean its will be JSW. Given the frosty relations between Jindals and Ambani's they will be open to bids from others. Parth Jindal has made some concessions in recent times to make up for his Twitter outbursts at FSDL and ISL , Nita Aunty was spotted at his recent wedding
Tier 2 clubs will be thrown a bone , they will also get STAR coverage of their league , most likely on STAR's new dedicated Football channel. There will be promotion relegation from Tier 2 to 3 , however Tier 2 to Tier 1 will require Clubs having to meet certain financial criteria .
This financial criteria will be something that IMG-R / ISL / FSDL will decide , and this will be in addition to the AFC criteria. The aim for them is to bring in the ones they want , as opposed to being forced to bring up a team that wins Tier 2 !
The next phase of expansion , 2 to 3 years after phase 1 of the expansion will see 2 more new teams coming into the fray ,the mooted cities/regions are HYDERABAD and PUNJAB ( Chandigarh ? ). This too will be an incentive for the upcoming clubs. A club like Minerva could position themselves as someone that can be "merged" into the new franchise. OR if a club like Fateh Hyderabad can attract some rich donors , they too could step up at that point .
I won't spoil the suspense of the rest of the 17th meeting... but these points have been leaked to more than a few people..
ISL teams will hold contracts on longer period of time ( this will help for AFC club licensing criteria)
They will loan to Tier 2. ( this helps budgets of Tier2 ..whilst also screwing their Licensing criteria )
A league doesn't have to be 10 months to be recognised by FIFA / AFC...but minimum number of games per team is required...
Even I-League fell short this year..
STAR will insist on everyday matches as it's how their business model works... 4 years down the line we could see changes....once again.... they will say what you want to hear...and do their own thing.
There is no stadium sharing issue... name 1 place that will be an issue !?!?
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/indian-super-league/top-stories/Change-of-coaches-hitting-Super-League-clubs-hard/articleshow/52265831.cms
The decisions that have been made by Chirag Tanna & co. on behalf of the owners ( IMG-R and Star Sports) were taken almost 3 months back.
Here are a few sneak preview of the decisions , as leaked by sources at Star Sports / AIFF / ISL clubs & agents ...
- The I-League will continue in 2017 in its current format ,BUT this will be the last season for the I-League in this current avatar.
- In 2017-18 they will look to follow the lead of the IPL and increase the number of teams from 8 to 10 teams. The 2 new teams will most likely be a new Kolkata franchise ( East Bengal must find a co-owner / sponsor ) , and Mohun Bagan have been recommended to be merged with ATK. { as DIAGEO will probably stop the sponsorship , this would make sense } ....a comical situation of Real Madrid partnering East Bengal could see "a Madrid derby" in KOLKATA
- The 2nd Franchise City will be BANGALORE , hold your horses @Maddie ;;; and any other BFC fans , as this doesn't automatically mean its will be JSW. Given the frosty relations between Jindals and Ambani's they will be open to bids from others. Parth Jindal has made some concessions in recent times to make up for his Twitter outbursts at FSDL and ISL , Nita Aunty was spotted at his recent wedding
- Tier 2 clubs will be thrown a bone , they will also get STAR coverage of their league , most likely on STAR's new dedicated Football channel. There will be promotion relegation from Tier 2 to 3 , however Tier 2 to Tier 1 will require Clubs having to meet certain financial criteria .
- This financial criteria will be something that IMG-R / ISL / FSDL will decide , and this will be in addition to the AFC criteria. The aim for them is to bring in the ones they want , as opposed to being forced to bring up a team that wins Tier 2 !
- The next phase of expansion , 2 to 3 years after phase 1 of the expansion will see 2 more new teams coming into the fray ,the mooted cities/regions are HYDERABAD and PUNJAB ( Chandigarh ? ). This too will be an incentive for the upcoming clubs. A club like Minerva could position themselves as someone that can be "merged" into the new franchise. OR if a club like Fateh Hyderabad can attract some rich donors , they too could step up at that point .
I won't spoil the suspense of the rest of the 17th meeting... but these points have been leaked to more than a few people..2) Everyday matches in Tier 1 ?
3) Tier 2 on TV looks promising. I wonder how they will share stadiums?
4) Will they start Tier 2 and Tier 3 at the same time as Tier 1 ?
5) How will players share the clubs? Right now I-League players are doubling up as ISL players.
They will loan to Tier 2.
( this helps budgets of Tier2 ..whilst also screwing their Licensing criteria )
A league doesn't have to be 10 months to be recognised by FIFA / AFC...but minimum number of games per team is required...
Even I-League fell short this year..
STAR will insist on everyday matches as it's how their business model works...
4 years down the line we could see changes....once again.... they will say what you want to hear...and do their own thing.
There is no stadium sharing issue... name 1 place that will be an issue !?!?
Small overlap with leagues will have to exist...
Most likely to be in FIFA/AFC recognized.
Also we have until 2018 and if this plan is already thought of, players will be signed to just pure ISL contracts before hand.
Also, Minerva "merging" in one day would be nice... love their colors so much!
We would still have a top league thats 4 months?
Number of games is key , not duration of league
MLS is 8months , in its early days , it was a lot less
they need a block to fill , and as fatigue starts the Play-off race begins & the weekends they have to compete with EPL, LaLIga and Bundesliga