MUMBAI: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has confirmed that the Hero I-League will have 12 teams next season and there will be no demotion from one season only.
The AIFF plans to use the 2022-2023 season to have an extended home and away Hero Second Division League, and the second division winners will get promoted to the I-League from the 2023-24 season onwards.
The recently concluded I-League campaign consisted of 13 teams, with Gokulam Kerala FC winning the title on Saturday, becoming the first team to defend the title in the competitions history. Meanwhile, Kenkre FC, who finished at the bottom of the table were relegated.
“Next season there won’t be any qualifiers and we will have a normal second division which will be played home and away, parallelly to the I-League. The regulations are very clear and have been circulated. The team at the bottom (in the I-League) gets relegated and in the subsequent edition (2023-24), we will have promotion and relegation,” Sunando Dhar, CEO of League and Development told Times of India.
“The system was always to have a home and away second division. You win the local league in one year, then play second division (in year two) and subsequently the champion plays in the I-League (in year three). That’s the progression,” Dhar further said.
The Second Division League is scheduled to be played from November to March, and only one team from each state will be allowed to take part in it. Reserve sides from the Indian Super League (ISL) and I-League will be allowed to take part in the competition, though they will not be eligible for promotion.
