NEW DELHI: Talismanic striker Sunil Chhetri has sought early resolution of issues surrounding the Indian domestic league structure.
“I hope to get the answer quickly,” IANS quotes the 34-year-old as having said.
Remarking that knowing the season’s calendar always helps, Chhetri said he had heard that think-tanks were working on that. “I hope we get the answer soon. And if we don’t, you guys (the media) please keep asking them,” he said.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) and clubs playing in the I-League have been locked in battle since the end of previous season with speculation rife that the Indian Super League (ISL) would get the top flight status and the I-League would become the second tier. Until the end of last season, both leagues were notionally deemed as India’s top flight competitions though the ISL is clearly the premier club tournament inthe country.
I-League clubs pulled out of the Super Cup in April after receiving no response from AIFF president Praful Patel on a letter they had written to him on the issue.
Last month, newly appointed Team India head coach Igor Štimac also called for better communication between the two parties to sort out the issue. “There are certain problems between leagues, organisation. Everything can be sorted out, if we communicate,” the Croat had said.
In his first press conference after being appointed, Stimac on May 26 set the cat among the pigeons when he said: “ISL is privatised and whoever is investing there expects to gain something, which is only normal. I-League, on the other hand, has been there for a number of years and has something that ISL can’t buy – tradition.
“We have to find ways to help I-League clubs speed up in terms of functioning and also bring some tradition to ISL that is currently nowhere to be seen.”
Stimac’s first assignment will be leading the Indian team in the King’s Cup in Thailand starting June 5. India will be playing Curacao in the first match, while hosts Thailand will be facing Vietnam on the same day.
