Kushal Das says I-League 2016-17 will have just 9 clubs; chances of corporate entries receding

THE CHANCES OF adding corporate clubs to the I-League this season appears to be receding as AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das has suggested that the 2016-17 I-League season will have just 9 clubs participating.

Speaking to ABP News at the launch of Shaji Prabhakaran's book on grassroots development Back to the Roots, Das said that the number of clubs in the top division league will not go up from last season. This tentatively means that come January, the teams that will take to the field to compete for the biggest prize in Indian domestic football will be Bengaluru FC, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Shillong Lajong, DSK Shivajians, Mumbai FC, Dempo SC, Aizawl FC and probably Sporting Clube de Goa, who according to reports are re-considering the decision to leave the league. This goes against AIFF's tall claims from a couple of months ago that the top division league will have 11 or even 12 clubs this season. 

A few weeks ago, the AIFF had issued a call for tenders for new corporate entries in the league. Two applicants, Minerva Academy AFC from Punjab and FC Bardez from Goa, had submitted their papers. Ozone FC from Bengaluru, despite widespread rumours that they would apply, decided not to do it. 

This does not mean that all chances of a new entry in the league has evaporated. If for some reason Sporting Clube de Goa do not get in, one of the corporate entries could step in to fill that gap. 

What this means for the domestic calendar is that AIFF will once again be forced to conduct the Federation Cup tournament, in order to make up the numbers needed in order to have the champions of India make the cut for the AFC Champions League Qualifiers in 2018.