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The AIFF President, Mr.Praful Patel has finally revealed his plans for a possible merger of the I-League and the Indian Super League. The I-League and the Indian Super League can be combined by retaining the distinctive features of both the leagues.
Earlier it was reported that Mr.Patel have informed all the clubs that eventually India will have just one league and will be played in the span of 8 to 9 months. At that time, he even told them that the Indian Super League won’t make that much revenue for years to come if they followed its current structure and a meeting would be called upon to discuss the future structure of the league.
Mr. Patel recently confirmed the meeting through a tweet from his official account.
FIFA’s general secretary Jerome Valcke stated that though the I-League remains the premier competition in India whereas a new tournament to boost the profile of the sport is not a bad path to follow.
“Football is all about fans, India is no different”
He said, “It is the I-League which would be the club championship for India and there cannot be any other league besides this. But we have no issues if there is any other tournament run by the AIFF, which helps in raising the profile of the game without reducing the importance of the I-League.”
According to I-League chief executive Sunando Dhar, India will have just one professional league within the next three to five years that will last for 8-9 months and there would be massive logistical problems to have two leagues, but to have one league will eventually work out in the best interest of the country's football.
He said, “Football is all about fans, India is no different. Looking at the support bases of the two leagues it is clear they complement each other.” as reported by ESPN.
The I-League 2015 showed an important figure that the viewership of the I-League had increased by 13%, which is pretty impressive considering that it is considered the second League by the general football-watching population. What is important to remember is that the I-League began after a spectacular end to the first edition of the ISL.
