If three premier Goan clubs calling it quits in the upcoming edition of the I-league with less than a month to kick-off is not precarious enough for Indian football, then little else could be.
Former national champions Salgaocar FC, Sporting Clube de Goa (SCG) and most recently Dempo SC, have withdrawn from participating in the next season edition of the competition.
The National Football League (NFL), rechristened as I-league in 2007, is currently the nation’s top division in domestic football.
Also Read: I-League CEO, Sunanda Dhar, talks about the exit of Goan clubs
However, the AIFF in May proposed to restructure and reorganise the multiple layers of Indian football. A baffling suggestion was made to demote the I-league as the second tier, while simultaneously promoting the Indian Super League (ISL) as the first division of domestic football.
We take a look at the events that unfolded and the ripple effect from this on the football landscape - primarily in Goa and by extension, the nation as a whole.
ISL and I-league merger
The wheels were set in motion with a proposal by the AIFF to merge the ISL and the I-league to project a single competition as the top-flight attraction in the Indian domestic football arena.
I-league would potentially play second fiddle to the ISL while a third tier was also in the pipeline at the time the talks were held.
The 8 teams currently playing in the ISL are expected to automatically qualify to play in the first tier, while two (or more) teams from the I-league would also be included. This depends on the final count of teams (yet to be finalised) but is estimated to be between 10 and 12, according to reports in the press.
I-league CEO Sunanda Dhar had this to say, regarding the potential changes: “Nothing has been decided. The plans are something which we have been discussing. It’s just a proposal. We haven’t set any criteria. We wanted 12 teams to play in the top league, but we never said we are going to reject X team and accept Y team.”
A weakened I-league’s confirmed participants so far are East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Bengaluru FC, Aizawl FC, Shillong Lajong, DSK Shivajians and Mumbai FC. Churchill Brothers were also given the go-ahead to be a part of the league – an outcome of the AIFF emergency committee meeting held on Friday.
Of the confirmed I-league participants, Bengaluru FC are strong contenders to participate in the top division given their recent success and AFC Cup exploits, and at least one of the Bengal clubs (East Bengal or Mohun Bagan) are also expected to be included.
The Goan exodus
What irked the owners of the Goan clubs - Shivanand Salgaocar, Shrinivas Dempo and Peter Vaz - and probably brought about the exit of the clubs en masse is the lack of provision for promotion and relegation of ISL teams.
Contractually, the AIFF would be bound to the ISL to not relegate any teams from the top flight for a specific lock-in period.
During this time, the I-league clubs featuring in a subjugated competition would have no incentive or motivation owing to the absence of provisions for promotion.
Additionally, the cost of staying invested in the I-league with not enough clarity yet on the future plans makes it a huge liability for the owners of these clubs. Also, the financial prowess required to compete with the teams in the ISL – which are backed by cricketers, celebrities and businessmen – might also prove to be a deterrent for those at the helm.
While Salgaocar FC and SCG had announced their withdrawal last month, Dempo SC confirmed their decision on Wednesday, December 7. The club’s official statement to the AIFF read:
"Considering the high cost of fielding and maintaining a team in the I-League and the uncertainty regarding the reorganisation of the competition, the promoters of the Dempo Group of Companies and the management of the club have decided that it will not be worthwhile to make the considerable additional investment required to field a team in the I-League. Therefore, with great regret, we wish to inform you that we will not field a team in the forthcoming I-League (2016-17)."
Contributions to grass-root levels of Indian football
The importance and contributions of the Goa-based clubs to Indian football cannot and should not be undermined. Salgaocar, Dempo and SCG have all been committed to honing local talent and develop an interest in football among the Goan youth.
Scouting begins at an early stage – while in school – and those selected are enrolled for training and grooming for the next level. There are partnership programmes in place with schools in addition to the grass-root and youth-specific initiatives.
Each of these clubs has not only had Goan fans mesmerised with the style of play and commitment, they have also contributed players to the Indian national team.
Achievements and fame
The three famous names to pull out from the upcoming I-league season have a total of seven national league titles between them, in addition to a host of other premier cup trophies and Asian participation.
Dempo SC are five-time winners of the erstwhile I-league (twice under the current nomenclature and thrice when it was the NFL), besides also winning the Durand Cup and Federation Cup and representing India in the AFC Cup.
Salgaocar FC, a name synonymous with Goan football until the emergence of Dempo, also has a tell-tale list of honours including two league titles, the Durand and Federation Cups.
Sporting Clube de Goa have finished runners-up in the I-league in 2005 and came second best thrice in the Federation Cup. They were recently promoted to the first division of the I-league.
Power struggle in the AIFF corridor?
Shrinivas Dempo, the owner of Dempo SC is also one of five current Vice-Presidents of the AIFF.
The governing body is due to hold elections to the post of its President and Treasurer and members of the executive committee on the 21st of December. In a surprising revelation, emails were reportedly sent out to by Vice-President Subrata Dutta, to all affiliate associations stating there may not be a need for the elections at all.
It goes on to claim that the federation seeks to continue with Praful Patel as the President; four of the Vice-Presidents are also set to continue, with the sole exception of Shrinivas Dempo.
Whether this indicates an obvious preference for FC Goa (presently featuring in the ISL) is moot and your guess is as good as ours.
As if the ignominy of shunting out Mr. Dempo was not enough, the West Zone’s seat has been offered to Rajasthan as per reports in the media, implying a first executive committee since the turn of the century without a Goan representative.
Is the AIFF losing the plot?
The haphazard, disorganised and lackadaisical handling of the entire reorganisation process by the AIFF raises one pertinent question – is the AIFF losing the plot?
Instead of building bridges and working together for the common cause – the betterment of football in the coastal state and the country as a whole – the AIFF general secretary Kushal Das has gone on record to state that the new clubs have a bigger fan base than the three who have pulled out.
"So what if Salgaocar or Sporting Clube de Goa have decided not to be part of I-League? People should look at the fan following (ISL side) FC Goa has. It's amazing and Salgaocar or a Sporting Clube de Goa have nothing compared to it."
Not only does the official’s statement reek of ignorance, there is also an air of arrogance in the way it was put forth.
Miffed Sporting Clube de Goa officials have issued a statement in response but the blame game and mud-slinging is not going to work in either party’s favour and is definitely not in the best interest of the sport.
Lowering the standards an egoistic measure?
When Bengaluru FC sought entry to the I-league a few years ago, it had to go through a stringent application process. Bank guarantees of Rs 100 crore were sought from clubs who were backed by establishments with net worth less than Rs 500 crore, in addition to five-year contracts.
The AIFF has sought new applications for the 2016/17 I-league and some of the new applicants have requested that the financial requirements be brought down to enable them to participate.
Also Read: Minerva Punjab FC accuse AIFF of denying promotion to first division of I League
Five new applicants in Minerva FC (Punjab), FC Barthez (Goa), Chennai City (Chennai), NEROCA FC (Imphal) and Sudeva FC (Delhi) are being entertained and evaluated by the AIFF.
However, the first three would not qualify as per old rules of I-League financial pre-requirements but are currently in the running.
This would imply that some standards are being lowered to suit what AIFF sees fit and suitable for Indian football; whether that proves to be so is a wait-and-watch game.
Ramifications for Goan and Indian football
While the Goan clubs have gone on record to reaffirm their commitment to grass-root and youth level football in the state, there is an air of uncertainty and apprehension.
The ambiguity surrounding the future of the club in domestic competition and potential loss of key players and sponsors is just the beginning of problems.
There is also the greater issue of employment for those associated with the clubs – not all have a future in the national team; what happens to them?
The 2017 FIFA U-17 football World Cup is set to be hosted by India across six first-choice venues including Goa.
What repercussions the ensuing chaos and confusion will have on the tournament are unclear but needless to say, the youth players of the country participating in the competition would feel far from motivated or assured.
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