ISL vs I-League: As 2019 approaches, 5 questions that need to be answered

#2 What future lies ahead for I-League?

Should be I-League be relegated to second division?

If ISL is made the top league, I-League would be made the second division tournament. As the current scenario goes, clubs playing in the I-League would suffer an existential crisis and may well shut their shop subsequently.

Clubs like Pune FC, Bharat FC, JCT, Mahindra United, Mumbai FC, Rangdajied United, Royal Wahingdoh etc were forced to shut down. One major problem is the lack of sponsors. As the I-League has no proper marketing in place, it is tough for the clubs to sustain for long time.

The I-League clubs are demanding to be equally treated like ISL. Honestly, it is the only way to keep the league alive. There should be adequate support, which means enough money to run a club and proper marketing.

As of now, nobody knows what will happen in next season.

---

#1 What's next for AIFF?

AIFF has so far acted as a mute spectator in the whole situation, which has angered the clubs. After Star Sports’ decision and subsequent protest, AIFF didn’t mince a word for a couple of days. After that, they were in dark before the decision was taken.

How can the football governing body of a country be kept in dark before such a big decision? It leads to the prominent question, who controls the league? Is it AIFF or some other body? There is no hiding of the fact that it is Star Sports who owns the I-League, with FSDL owning the ISL. It paints a grim picture of a national football body, which ‘aims’ to participate in 2026 World Cup.

Honestly, AIFF did nothing for the I-League except re-designing its website. There was no promotion, no marketing, nothing except the occasional retweets.

Lately, they made a proposal of live streaming the I-League matches on social but nothing concrete has been done yet. Before making mind-boggling headlines, it is time for them to self-introspect.