So wait... East Bengal and Mohun Bagan have agreed to join the Indian Super League? Never mind Atletico de Kolkata, how would EB and MB even merge into ISL? The amount of money they would need would be higher than for your typical I-League season. They would need help from investors.
Perhaps Atletico de Kolkata could disband and Atletico Madrid form a partnership with one of East Bengal or Mohun Bagan while the other owners (and others) can help the clubs through sponsorships etc.
AIFF should arrange some grants for I league clubs if they merge two leagues. also the idea of disbanding ATK and distribution of sponsorship is a way forward but very hard to implement.
Apart from EB, MB, BFC and Shillong Lajong rest I league clubs doesn't have any significant influence among fans. So scrap other I league clubs add ISl teams to these I league club and start a proper league with 9-10 month with kind of marketing done for ISl and comparatively lesser expense compared to ISl. Rebrand North East united with some name related with Assam. Any north east team will guarantee you fans in the stadium.
It would be. They have already made an investment into the ISL side and probably won't see the sense of the team disbanding, and thus their investment disbanding, for the sake of 2 new sides which they will just go spending more on but without any ownership (cause that is how EB and MB work). I could see the Indian investors at Atletico de Kolkata looking to sell their shares in the side. East Bengal and Mohun Bagan will need to change their structure to join ISL.
I agree with @alecs. The new league will be more preppy than I-League but will need to be less monied as the current Indian Super League. I am not sure though about Shillong Lajong and NorthEast United. Shillong is not a very big area population wise and the stadium would need renovations. Also, where does the NorthEast United fanbase come from? They surely must have fans from Shillong and Meghalaya overall so rebranding as an Assam side might not be in their best interests.
At the end of the day, a merger that sees Atletico de Kolkata go and East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, and Bengaluru FC could be massive for the ISL and Indian football. An increase from 8 to 10 teams, a brand new market in Bangalore, two of the most historic teams in India, Asia, and arguably the world!
EB and MB officials have agreed in principle. They say that they will struggle for first few years financially, then they will overcome that. They want 16 team I League and Fed Cup.
not only this issues to short. Number of foreigners , quality maintenance of foreigners, AFC licensing for ISL clubs, structure of 2nd and 3rd divisions ( I hope they will keep both I league and I league div 2 ).
The question is which ISL franchise has money to pay for 11 foreigners for 9 months? The current expenditure will be doubled (might be tripled) if you increase ISL to 9 months affair. This is going affect the quality of foreigners for sure. I just hope it does not end up having Sunday, Friday, etc kind of players to fill the 11 foreigner number with restricting the expenditure. Many of these ISL players are at the end of their career with injuries and fitness issues. It will be foolish to expect that they will be able to perform for 9 months with same effectiveness. So, I dont think without making any profit for a season or two, these franchise owners would be willing to extend the league to 9 months and increase their losses.
If this season too ISL franchises incur losses more than predicted, I wont be surprised if some owners pulls out of the ISL. Already KB is showing some cracks.
ISL stretched out for 9 months will have resources (and enthusiasms of 'fans', too) spread out thinly. It is a 'quicky' and would be enjoyed for that time span only. The stretched out ISL of tomorrow will be the I-league of today.
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