The I-League Professional Clubs Association has stuck to its decision of not releasing players for a proposed IPL-style football tournament. However, in a bid to end the impasse, the body has responded positively to a letter from the All India Football Federation, agreeing to a meeting with the governing body and its commercial partners, IMG-Reliance.
The meeting will take place on Wednesday here after the AIFF agreed to IPFCA’s proposed date.
“We are not giving any player on loan. We will stick to our decision. The AIFF should look at developing the existing league rather than come up with something which is going to supercede and kill the game,” said reigning I-League champions Churchill Brothers chief executive Valanka Alemao after a club representatives’ meeting here on Tuesday.
Asked if players were keen to join the cash-rich league, Alemao said, “We understand their situation but it is for the players to decide. All big players in India have been alive because of clubs. Players should be calm, composed and chose between money and career.
“They should understand that I-League is a premier tournament and that’s the way forward. It is the bedrock of Indian football,” said Pune FC owner Nandan Piramal, whose team finished runners-up last season.
AIFF general secretary Kushal Das had proposed a meeting between IMG-R and club representatives to discuss and agree on the players loan/transfer issues.
“We have nominated six members to attend the meeting. We will try to understand how the proposed tournament will benefit Indian football and the I-League,” Piramal said.
The six-member panel will consist of IPFCA president Raj Gomes (Salgaocar), general secretary Chirag Tanna (Pune FC), East Bengal’s Debabrata Sarkar, Mohun Bagan’s Debashish Dutta, Bengaluru FC’s Mustafa Ghouse and Alemao.
In all, 11 clubs attended the day’s meeting and three clubs, United SC, Shillong Lajong and Mumbai Tigers, gave their consent to IPFCA’s decision.
“The proposed tournament is talked about more than the I-League and we are concerned. We haven’t seen the contract signed between AIFF and IMG-R in 2010. We don’t have a roadmap, logistics for the IMG-R tournament,” Alemao rued.