new delhi: The crisis in Indian football on Wednesday reached the doorsteps of Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya after a meeting between the national federation and CEOs of the Indian Super League (ISL) clubs failed to end the deadlock that has brought the domestic circuit to a halt.
I-League clubs were also invited for the meeting, held in hybrid mode, but they skipped it, citing the short notice at which it was called. The clubs’ representatives will meet Mandaviya on Thursday morning to try and figure a way out.
“The Sports minister is meeting representatives of both I-League and ISL tomorrow to discuss the ongoing deadlock,” a ministry source told PTI.
However, it is not clear whether Chaubey, also a BJP leader from West Bengal, will be present in the meeting.
I-League club representatives sent a letter to All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary M Satyanarayan demanding a “common league partner” for all the divisions including ISL, I-League (Tier 1 and 2).
After the departure of Football & Sports Development Limited, the AIFF had invited bids seeking a new commercial partner to run the top football league of the country but it didn’t elicit a single response. As a result, the start of the ISL has ut on hold yet again.
“I can’t say anything on the meeting as it will be unethical,” is all Chaubey told PTI when asked about the outcome of his deliberations with the CEOs of the ISL clubs.
The representatives of I-League clubs held a separate meeting in Delhi and suggested a couple of measures in their letter to Satyanarayan.
“We suggest all the three leagues, ISL, I-League and I-League-2 should be managed by one common league partner. This shall ensure long term holistic
growth,” the letter stated.