MUMBAI: Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), organisers and commercial rights holders of the Indian Super League had a (virtual one would assume) meeting on Wednesday to discuss the expansion of the ISL to a 12-team league in the 2020-2021 season, a media platform reported Wednesday.
As per the report, the agenda of the FSDL meeting had two main points of discussion – the addition of two teams to the ISL from the upcoming season and the commencement of the 2020/21 edition later this year.
The report further stated that East Bengal FC has officially picked up the ISL 2020/21 bid documents (for entry into the ISL) online and would submit it post the COVID-19 necessitated countrywide lockdown that is in place at least till May 3.
This follows on from news published recently that the storied Kolkata club had sealed a major sponsorship deal with FMCG giant Procter & Gamble that would facilitate its entry into the ISL in the upcoming season.
The way SportzPower sees it, IF P&G were to even consider sponsoring East Bengal, it would be a break from the norm for the personal care giant, which globally has poured sponsorship money behind women’s team sports rather than men’s. It needs noting here that P&G’s men’s care brand Gillette is BIG on backing individual sportsmen, though not so on men’s teams.
Now coming to the possibility of East Bengal joining the ISL. Even assuming it was able to get the backing of major sponsors / investors (a tough ask in the current depressed market scenario brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and one made more so by the sorry experience its most recent investor Quess Corp had with the club), the EARLIEST it can hope for in terms of entry into the ISL in the 2022/23 season. Why?
The proposed domestic league roadmap set out by AFC-AIFF in mid-October 2019 that covers the period till 2024/25 for ISL, I-League clubs does not have scope for it.
The AFC-AIFF Roadmap:
Year 1 (2019/20): Existing setup to continue in ISL, with no promotion and no relegation.
Year 2 (2020/21): Two I-League clubs to be included in ISL by the end (emphasis ours) of the season.
Year 3 (2021/22): League format and name to be changed as per AIFF’s diktat, to be implemented from 2022/23.
Year 4 (2022/23): Winner of I-League to be promoted, with no relegation without including any franchise fee. The promoted team, even with fulfilled licensing criteria, will not receive a share from the central revenue pool.
Year 5 (2023/24): Same as 2022/23.
Year 6 (2024/25): Introduction of only one league, with promotion and relegation, and one knockout cup by AIFF.
What the roadmap makes clear is that the earliest East Bengal can join the ISL, IF everything else falls in place, is in the 2021/22 season.
Further, it needs noting that, in the current circumstances, there is absolutely no question of adding any new teams to the ISL as the added logistical burden is something that FSDL will definitely NOT want to take. Delivering the next season of ISL in whatever form or manner that is practical will be the priority, NOT adding teams that would only add to the costs involved.
