YESTERDAY, A SENIOR OFFICIAL of East Bengal was in Mumbai to speak to AIFF President Praful Patel. The agenda: request the Fedration to look into the matter of East Bengal entering the ISL in the 2018-19 season itself.
Mr Patel reportedly told the club official that AIFF would be happy to assist them. But in a practical sense that means little more than moral support since the final decision with IMG-Reliance, who organize and control all aspects of the Indian Super League.
So far there's been no public acknowledgement or statement from IMG-R, or its operating arm FSDL in this matter, about East Bengal's recent attempts to enter the franchise league following they signed a mammoth partnership deal with Quess Corp. But the organization has been actively monitoring this development. And they are not all averse to the idea.
IMG-R have wanted East Bengal as well as their arch rivals Mohun Bagan in the ISL for a while. In an ideal scenario they want both the clubs to enter the ISL together and continue their iconic rivalry. But doing it this year has two boundaries; namely the one-city-one-club rule in ISL that expires in 2019 (ATK holds exclusivity over Kolkata for one more season), and the stated expansion of ISL is supposed to happen in 2019.
However, it's not impossible for IMG-R to speed things up if they want. And several reports in local media have suggested that ATK have become less insistent on enforcing their exclusivity over Kolkata than they were before, following a drastic drop in the franchise's popularity in 2017-18 when they were seen by the fans as an entity hostile to East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.
The other big factor in play here is Mohun Bagan, whose administration is going through a crisis following open clashes between two factions of officials that want to gain control over the club. But the club's management is currently under major pressure from fans and members to follow the footsteps of East Bengal and sign a big commercial partner in order to enter ISL. And recent rumours have suggested that a renowned steel company is willing to sign a mega deal with Mohun Bagan that can give the club access to a Rs 40 crore annual budget, more than enough to be a major contender in ISL. A reveal about that deal is expected on 29th July, during the annual Mohun Bagan Day celebrations.
Perhaps that's the context that explains Ananda Bazar Patrika's recent story stating that IMG-Reliance officials have told East Bengal to wait till 27th or 28th July for a response from the ISL organizers. This implies IMG-R want to be ready for the possibility that both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan may be able to bid for ISL entry by the end of this month.
The entry of these two popular clubs is expected to ISL much more attractive, as it will now feature the Kolkata Derby as well as a reboot of EB and MB's rivalry with Bengaluru FC, which has seen some high voltage matches being fought in domestic and international competitions over the last 5 years.
The ball seems to be on Mohun Bagan officials' courts now. Their arch rivals have stepped up to the plate and adopted themselves to a new football reality. Whether the Mariners can do the same will become clear in just about a week.