Bhaichung backs franchise fee waiver for EB, MB

MOHUN BAGAN AND EAST BENGAL have been demanding that the franchise fee put forth by ISL to be part of the league should be waivered off. Now former footballer Bhaichung Bhutia has echoed the same.

Addressing the media in Kolkata, Bhutia said,

"The present format of three months of ISL and three months of I-League is making a lot of players unemployed. Those 70-80 players who are playing in the ISL are also playing in the I-League. Those who are playing in one league, there is no football for them for the remaining seven-eight months."

He further added,

"We want more players to get opportunities. A lot of talk is happening on the merger (of the ISL and I-League). If we have 20 teams after merging ISL and I-League and more players play, then it will be good. Till the time the merger does not happen, we will be happy to see that two leagues run simultaneously for a longer period so that more players get to play."

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