NEW DELHI, May 31: Replacing the Indian Super League, the I-League could regain its status as the country’s top-tier football competition, as per the draft constitution formulated by the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA).
If the draft constitution for the All India Football Federation (AIFF), which CoA members – former chief election commissioner SY Quraishi and ex-India captain Bhaskar Ganguli – had submitted to the SC in January 2020 and made public now, is any evidence, the franchise-based ISL is set to lose its prominence.
While the CoA recommendations are likely to face opposition from various quarters, it remains to be seen if the Supreme Court approves the panel’s proposed constitution.
In a 2017 order, the SC had appointed a CoA comprising Quraishi and Ganguly to formulate the constitution of the AIFF in consonance with the National Sports Code.
The AIFF elections were due in December 2020 but it did not go ahead. Earlier, the ISL, jointly organised by the AIFF and its commercial partners, was granted the top-tier status at the expense of I-League, as part of structural changes in the domestic game in India. (PTI)
