THE AIFF IS trying hard to mitigate the situation that has arised in Goa, with two of the I-League clubs, Sporting Clube de Goa and Salgaocar FC, pulling out of the country's top division league in tandem, and a third club Dempo SC seriously considering joining them.
General Secretary Kushal Das, who came out to clarify many aspects of the ISL and I-League "merger plan" that AIFF and commercial partners IMG-Reliance unveiled in May, in an effort to try and stop this open rebellion of clubs from getting out of hand.
He is personally flying down to Goa and is scheduled to meet representatives of all 3 of the top division clubs from the state to discuss the current scenario and see if he can convince them to stay. The crucial meeting will take place on the 1st of July.
Many have criticised AIFF for not presenting the clubs with a vision for the future of professional football for India competent enough to encourage them to remain active, even if it meant playing in League 1 or 2, the new lower division leagues that will begin in 2017. Others have accused the outgoing clubs of being selfish and not being there to fight it out on behalf of Indian football. It's unclear whether a meeting retroactively held after the clubs have announced their departure from the national scene has any chance to change their minds.