What’s the story?
After winning the 2017 I-League, Aizawl FC are now only one step away from qualifying for the continent’s most acclaimed club competition, the AFC Champions League, hosted by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
As a result of their trumph, they have secured a spot in the AFC Champions League playoffs, however, they would still need to fulfil the club licensing criterion in order to be eligible to take part in the playoff match.
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Two licenses exist – the AFC license and the national license. The AFC license is required by a team for them to be eligible to participate in the AFC Champions League and Aizawl FC currently do not possess this.
The AFC has notified the team of the aforementioned licensing criterion and they would need to fulfil this sometime between August and mid-September in order to participate in the league.
The context
The first north-eastern team to secure the I-League title, Aizawl FC won the competition after drawing 1-1 against Shillong Lajong on Sunday.
The heart of the matter
The only Indian club to have obtained the AFC license so far is Bengaluru FC who were knocked out of the AFC Champions League’s playoff round by the Jordanian team, Al Wehdat SC this year.
Aizawl FC do not currently possess an AFC license and hence could possibly miss out on the acclaimed competition.
Even legendary teams Mohun Bagan and East Bengal had failed to secure licenses last year because they did not have coaches that were AFC pro-licensed.
What's next?
Given that Khalid Jamil, the coach of Aizawl FC is already AFC pro-licensed, only time will tell what else comes in the way before this gifted team are given their license. The licensing protocol calls for the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to draft the eligibility list and approach AFC with the same to further the process.
Once the license is acquired, we can expect to see Aizawl FC on the field at the next AFC Champions League.
Author’s Take
Aizawl FC’s rise in the last two years has been meteoric. From being relegated last time around to claiming the top prize this campaign, their story is nothing short of a fairytale. It is now up to the AIFF to support the team.
Their responsibility is to get the team its much-deserved license; that would not only avoid embarrassment to the nation, but also help Aizawl participate in the AFC Champions League and continue its dream run.
