NEW DELHI: The All India Football Federation has declared it will “impose financial sanctions and other strict measures” on I-League clubs that fail to comply with licensing criteria laid down by the AIFF within the “stipulated timeframe”.
The decision came following a virtual meeting of the AIFF League Committee Thursday wherein the attendees were apprised of the “infrastructural inadequacies of several I-League clubs, despite regular interaction with them from the start of the season”.
The statement issued after the League Committee meeting reads” “Therefore, a decision was taken by the Committee to impose financial sanctions and other strict measures on the defaulting clubs, unless they comply with the set criteria within the stipulated timeframe.”
Among other matters discussed, it was informed that among the Indian Women’s League (IWL) clubs, Eastern Sporting Union are the only side that have not yet confirmed their participation in the 2023-24 season of the top-tier women’s league in the country. To that extent, the committee recommended to continue with the remaining seven teams in the IWL, which is slated to begin on December 8, and end by March, 2024.
Meanwhile, the committee selected 25 clubs from 17 Member Associations to feature in the 3rd Division League. These clubs have been given time till October 6 to confirm their participation, following which, the fixtures will be released as per the final confirmations. The group stage of the 3rd Division League is set to begin on November 9, and the playoffs featuring the top five teams will be held in the second half of December.
