AIFF proposes to set up a working committee with all stakeholders to address league merger

THE ALL INDIA FOOTBALL FEDERATION has proposed the formation of a working committee, with representatives from all Indian football stakeholders as well as AFC and FIFA, to facilitate an exchange of ideas and address the merging of I-League and ISL, and the establishment of a new league pyramid.

The proposed working committee is going to have representative slots for all ISL franchises and I-League clubs from both its current divisions. IMG-Reliance will have their voice in it as well.

Since the focal point of the merger process is the transition of the Indian Super League from a private tournament to a full-fledged, officially recognized football league, the presence of representatives of AFC and FIFA in the working committee is expected to help out in terms of making sure the league adequately adheres to all the governing norms and regulations, and its teams - particularly the ISL franchises who are to become real football clubs - do their best to earn their club licenses. 

The formation of the committee is expected to take months, with the AIFF Executive Comittee working out the finer details and giving the final approval in one of its future meetings.