The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is likely to shortly send its findings and recommendations to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on how a unified league formula can be worked out for the country.
AFC officials, who have visited India multiple times over the last year and have created a joint task force with the All India Football Federation to address the issue, has spent the last several months holding a survey of footballers, club officials and other stakeholders of Indian football across the country. Media reports indicate that the AFC is very close to sending its findings and recommendations to AIFF.
The task force has spoken with both I-League clubs and ISL franchises to work out a formula where a unified league can become the new top division league where the ISL franchises as well as several independent clubs from I-League, the existing top flight league, can participate. The committee has also conducted a survey of footballers, club officials and other stakeholders of Indian football across the country.
The process was expected to have been completed by October but things got stalled due to a Delhi High Court decision temporarily set aside the election of current AIFF President Praful Patel and several of the top brass. Later, a Supreme Court bench allowed the Federation officials to carry out duties till a new election takes place in a few months, say reports.
This year, the AFC and AIFF reached a short term solution and decided to hold I-League and ISL simultaneously for the 2017-18 season, and ISL was given a provisional recognition as a Federation Cup replacement, which meant the winners could play in the AFC Cup Qualifiers, while the AFC Champions League qualifiers berth remained with the top flight I-League.
Although the AFC will send in its suggestions as a uniform set of solutions, the AIFF (and their commercial partners IMG-Reliance) have the right to modify, accept or reject any term recommended by the continental football body.
