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As the Indian Super League slowly unfolds the top 4 teams for this season, we have been greeted with plenty of surprises. Whether it is the dismal performance by the reigning champions Chennaiyin FC or the sudden spring in the steps of NorthEast United FC, we have been offered with some amazing football on display.
However, also this season, the action has not only been limited on the pitch but has also gathered whispers off the pitch. Rumours have flown like flurries with mounting speculations involving the league’s future, the team’s finances and the players’ transfers. Some of them were given a pass while others have gradually gathered weight with each passing day.
Here are the top 5 rumours which have made the news in this season of the Indian Super League.
Also See : Barcelona Transfer News, La Liga Transfer News, EPL Transfer News.
#1 Pune City in financial duress
As little as their hopes are, to make it to the playoffs, Pune’s chances to take part in the next season of the league, also looks diminishing and they quite certainly look to be one of the first teams to bow out of the league because of the mounting financial burdens.
With losses climbing to Rs 150 crores since 2014, things are subjected to change for FC Pune City from next season, especially after their talks of a possible merger with Mumbai City FC has failed to reach an establishment.
Backed by the Wadhan group, Pune has never had a glorious performance-history nor they been backed by a strong fan-base, which just further diminishes the credibility of things turning around in the near future.
As reported by a number of news outlets, there are stories coming from the camp of players’ salaries getting delayed with some of them even getting theirs towards the end of the month. There’s also been news of Pune being subjected to a takeover but nothing confirmed as yet.
Even though the Pune Officials have admitted to the financial crisis they have strictly denied to any rumours regarding the failure in player payments or a possible takeover. However, they have opened the idea of looking for a strategic investor or a possibility of moving out of Pune from next season.
Also See : Durand Cup, Durand Cup Schedule, Calcutta Football League
#2 ISL final in Goa
As the knockout phase of the tournament beckons, speculations on the venue of the ISL final has slowly gathered pace with Goa being one of the front-runners along with Guwahati and Mumbai in the race, according to the sources close to the administration.
The Fatorda stadium in Goa has received a formidable average crowd count this season with a figure of 16,231/19,000 for the eight matches played at the venue so far. Goa is only fourth in average attendance behind Jamshedpur, Kolkata, and Kochi for this season of the league.
FC Goa, having already qualified for the knockout phase of the tournament, Goa would be a probable to play the finals and accordingly could bring the people to the stands and that’s exactly what the league management would also be looking for from a final venue.
Bengaluru having already hosted the final last year, would be the least likely to host it again while the other two probable semi-finalists North-East and Mumbai would also act as alternatives to Goa. However, Mumbai being the least attended venue this season would also likely to be the least preferred venue out of the two.
#3 Delhi Dynamos to play in Hyderabad or Ahmedabad
With yet another dismal season for Delhi Dynamos, things look rather difficult for them as they plan to shift base from the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium and maybe even from the city, going into the next season of the league, reported The Times of India quoting sources.
As reported by one of the national dailies, the club officials have set their eyes on Ahmedabad and Hyderabad and are already in the process of assessing the probability of shifting their base.
The club, however, would want to stay in the National Capital Region and are also considering the probability of shifting the home ground to the Ambedkar stadium or to the stadiums in Noida or Gurgaon.
The main reason for the change of venue is because of the hefty maintenance cost and the rent of the massive Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium which takes a big toll on the budget of the club. The decline in crowd numbers also questions the feasibility of continuing at such a high-rent venue and a possible change of venue would act as a welcome move for the club management.
#4 Mohun Bagan’s talks with ATK fail?
Possibly one of the most talked about topics going into next year’s ISL, the Mohun Bagan and ATK fans have been waiting for the news of a possible merger for a long time now.
The news of the merger fuelled up when a top Mohun Bagan official, Srinjoy Bose hinted on the “possibility” of a merger if the "situation demands".
Both Mohun Bagan and ATK have the kind arsenal that can mutually benefit each other and a possible merger will get ATK its crowd and Mohun Bagan a financial backing along with contention in the ISL.
However, with the recent developments, Mohun Bagan has raised a lot of eyebrows on the possibility of the merger when they reached out to AFC to seek an explanation on the future of Indian football and the I-League. They had also requested AIFF and Praful Patel to sought a road map for the I-league going forward.
Does this mean the talk of the merger is over? If not, why would Mohun Bagan go ahead with such radical action?
Mohun Bagan had earlier kept its mouth shut when other I-league clubs took to the court against the interference of the FSDL, increasing its speculation for the likely participation in the next season of the ISL.
Now, with the letter to AFC, Mohun Bagan has raised some serious question on whether their talks have failed with ATK? With no clarity on the issue received so far, only time would tell if the rumour holds any substance.
#5 Lulu group to invest in Kerala Blasters
Just weeks before the starting of the season, there were strong rumours on the possible takeover of Kerala Blasters by UAE based retail franchise Lulu Group International.
In September, reports surfaced that the Prasad group (IQuest) who owned 80 per cent of the franchise and the then owner, Sachin Tendulkar who owned 20 per cent stake of the club were making way for a complete takeover of the team by Kerala billionaire Yusuf Ali M.A who owns the Lulu Group, a billion dollar retail chain in the middle-east.
There was almost “confirmed” news reported on the successful takeover of the club by Lulu in September. However, later Kerala Blasters denied any rumours of the news and termed the news to be superlative in nature. Speculations were further dumped when actor Chiranjeevi and Allu Aravind bought in Sachin’s 20-percent stake in the team and are currently the owners of the club.
The news did raise a lot of questions on the speculation as both ISL and the Lulu group denied to drop any comments on the situation.
If the news of the interest did hold true why wouldn’t it go through? Or what possible reason be there in the denial of interest after a month’s time? Or is it has just been delayed for the next season?
With a deep pocket and roots from the state, the news of Yusuf Ali’s Lulu group taking over Kerala Blaster did look like a possibility but now posses more questions than answers.
ALSO SEE: ISL Schedule | ISL Results | ISL Points table
