Former I-League champions Dempo SC became the third club from Goa to pull out of India’s domestic league competition after Salgaocar FC and Sporting Clube de Goa had earlier announced that they won’t be taking part in the upcoming season. The withdrawal is said to be an act of protest against the newly proposed plans to restructure domestic football in India by merging the Hero Indian Super League with the I-League in a bid to improve the quality of football by adding more teams into the existing setup.
Salgaocar and Sporting Clube de Goa had together announced their withdrawal in June in protest against the AIFF’s plans to relegate the I-League as the second division and making the ISL India’s top-flight league. Even when the two Goan clubs were public about their withdrawal, Dempo had kept their decision as a low-key affair but the five-time national champions seem to have made their decision now and it will be communicated to the AIFF by the end of Wednesday.
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According to a report in the Times of India, “Dempo will not be a part of the I-League. A decision has already been taken," said a senior official. However, the AIFF believed that Dempo, owned by AIFF Vice-President Shrinivas Dempo, will not follow in the footsteps of other Goan clubs and had extended the deadline to submit the participation agreement, which was due on November 22nd, to yesterday.
The decision was never in doubt within the Goan football circles
All the three club owners who pulled out, Shivanand Salgaocar, Shrinivas Dempo and Peter Vaz, had taken a united stand against the newly formed foundation of domestic football in India. According to the AIFF’s plans, the I-League will be relegated as the second division or League one as it will be called and the fact that none of the Goan clubs will be a part of the first division has added weight to the withdrawal process.
Only three clubs from the current I-League namely, Bengaluru FC, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are expected to be accomodated in to next season’s ISL, with one of the Kolkata clubs aligning with an existing franchise.
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Dempo’s pull out means that the I-League only has seven confirmed participants this season in the form of Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Bengaluru FC, Mumbai FC, DSK Shivajians, Shillong Lajong and Aizawl FC, who were restored after being relegated last season. The AIFF tried to make amends by giving direct entries to corporate teams but all three who submitted bids, FC Bardez, Minerva Academy FC and Chennai City FC, fell short of the requirements.
However, the AIFF has called for a new round of tendering and a decision is expected to be made on December 11th, less than a month before the league kicks off. Dempo were the winners of the inaugural I-League season in 2007-08 and have won the league five times, more than any other side. The club has also been the winner of the prestigious Federation Cup in 2004 and Durand Cup in 2006. They were relegated in 2015 but fought their way back last season after topping the Second Division I-League.
