In what is a surprising turn of events, a new team from Kerala will be inducted into next season’s I-League as the top flight of Indian football sets about expanding its roster of clubs.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has cleared MySports Management’s bid to form a club based out of Thiruvananthapuram for the upcoming I-League campaign, handing the state of Kerala its only team in the league.
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Things have now become clearer as regards who gets a nod into the new I-League season as MySports Management is all set to float a new club in the upcoming season of the I-League.
This new development is in line with what the AIFF had envisaged, that is having a few new entrants to I-League will pave the way for clubs like Bengaluru FC, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal to join the Indian Super League (ISL), the popular franchise league. One to three more clubs are set to be part of the new ISL season in 2017-18.
As things stand, only Kerala Blasters represent the state of Kerala in the highest levels of Indian football, therefore, having a new I-League club from Thiruvananthapuram will increase Indian football’s engagement with the masses as well as cater to a region where football has a religious following. Kerala Blasters are one of the most successful ISL clubs, having reached the final twice, albeit losing on both occasions.
While Kerala Blasters are based out of Kochi, MySports Management’s new club will be based out of Thiruvananthapuram. The club will rope in foreign coaches and players to start off proceedings, but their vision for the future is to include more and more local talents into the team. Also in their plans is to adhere to the AIFF’s rules by setting up an academy for young players so that they can churn out good young players on a regular basis for the first team.
This comes as a positive development for Indian football as the country’s southern states amplify their influence in the scheme of things. If Bengaluru FC and the new Thiruvananthapuram club are part of the I-League next season, then southern India could have as many as three clubs in the league, Chennai City FC included.
However, it remains to be seen whether Bengaluru will be keen to part ways with the I-League as the number of continental slots for the ISL hasn’t yet been decided.
