I-League: A new era beckons

May 27, 2008 will forever remain a landmark day for Indian football as a crowd of more than 100,000 in Kolkata bid farewell to one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, Oliver Kahn. Five years on, the same date could mark the start of a new era in the I-League.

Whether it’s going to be a positive new beginning or a different version of the fading product that it has been for six years remains to be seen, but there are certainly going to be a lot of changes on and off the field.

The AIFF emergency committee meets in New Delhi later today to discuss various important issues regarding next season’s I-League like the number of new clubs, total number of teams, number of foreigners etc.

Ever since the revoke of Mohun Bagan‘s relegation, the AIFF publicly talked about the inclusion of some corporate-owned teams directly into the I-League. Besides paying an initial fee around Rs 3 crore, the interested parties were also asked to give assurances of having a proper youth system and their own stadium within five years. The new teams would also be immune from relegation (and there could be no relegation in the I-League at all).

After initially receiving bids from three parties – JSW (Jindal South West), Dodsal and a Kerala consortium – the AIFF soon invited a fresh new tender notice with the Indian FA president Praful Patel stating at the FPAI Awards night in Mumbai on Wednesday that there would be four new teams next season. Rumours started floating in that ‘Air Asia’, official partners of QPR, is possibly the fourth interested party.

A final decision regarding the new teams may not be made on Monday, but there will certainly be more clarity as a technical evaluation committee will be going through the bids.

Arrows could get disbanded

The future of AIFF’s developmental team Pailan Arrows will also be discussed because according to several reports recently, the club that was formed in 2010 could be shut down due to lack of funds. That would certainly change the transfer plans of many clubs because the youngsters at Arrows, who have another year on their contracts, have plenty of other offers.

So the number of teams participating next term should become a lot clearer, but what about the format? The AIFF are reportedly keen on dividing the teams into two zones in order to cut costs because it would mean that a team from Shillong may not have to travel all the way to Goa and vice-versa.

There have also been rumours that the number of foreigners could be increased from four to five with each club being allowed four in the starting lineup instead of the current limit of three. That would be a massive setback to Indian strikers and centre backs in particular because most clubs would prefer to play outstation players in that position. The increase in the number of foreigners and the potential disbandment of Arrows would also deny youngsters regular I-League exposure.

The biggest talking point however is the status of the proposed IPL-style league, which the commercial partners of the AIFF, IMG Reliance, are very much keen on. They have already started signing players who are free agents at the end of this season with a clause that if any of those players joins an I-League club, then he would have to pay half of his salary to IMG (R).

Will the new league be a boon or bane for the I-League?

That would certainly tempt many players to not even consider playing the I-League and just focus on the two-month new league for which the AIFF have already created a window in next season’s football calendar. It would also make it difficult for clubs to sign free agents but more importantly, it would threaten the importance of the I-League.

The sub-plot of this impending new era is the huge number of coaching changes with every top club barring Mohun Bagan set to have a change in personnel. Newly-crowned I-League champions Churchill Brothers are likely to name a new coach as they haven’t been able to reach an agreement with technical director Subhash Bhowmick for a new contract.

While the two longest-serving coaches in the I-League era – Armando Colaco and Derrick Pereira – are also set for new challenges. Armando has ended his highly successful 13-year stint with Dempo and was given an emotional farewell by the club last Saturday. He could be taking charge of one of the new clubs that would be directly entered.

Derrick might not have won any trophy with Pune FC but in four years he has established the six-year old club as one of the most consistent teams in the I-League. The 51-year-old will be taking charge of the club, Salgaocar, where he became a legend as a player.

It’s time for a change

Unfortunately for East Bengal fans, their club too comes into this list of changes because Trevor Morgan is set to leave after a three-year-spell in which he failed to deliver the I-League title but brought back the glory days at the Kolkata club and made them a force in Asia again. Morgan wants to leave despite having another year on his contract left and it could prove to be a wrong move for both parties.

Another aspect that is likely to be different next season is the decrease in expenditure. In any case, clubs outside Kolkata have been spending lesser every year but even the teams from Bengal’s capital could be forced to work on a much tighter budget due to the ongoing chit fund scandal in the state.

The 2012-13 English Premier League became the season of retirements due to the several high-profile departures and thus next season promises to be the start of a new era there. Similarly, the 2013-14 season could also see the start of a new chapter in our very own I-League due to the several changes both on and off the pitch. Whether it’s for good or bad, only time will tell.