AIFF officials hold discussions with I-League, IWL clubs

NEW DELHI: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey, Secretary General Dr Shaji Prabhakaran and senior officials of the governing body met with representatives from the I-League and Indi-an Women's League clubs at the Football House, here on Thursday and discussed various aspects of the game in the country.

Apart from AIFF president and Secretary General, treasurer Kipa Ajay, along with Executive Committee mem-bers Avijit Paul, Valanka Alemao (also the Chairperson of the Women’s Football Committee), Lalnghinglova Hmar (also the Chairman of the League Committee), Vijay Bali, and Grassroots Committee Chairperson Mulrajsinh Chudasama, and League Committee member Satyanarayan M, were also present in the meeting.

Amongst the I-League clubs, Sreenidi Deccan FC, Gokulam Kerala FC, Churchill Brothers FC Goa, Moham-medan Sporting Club, and Aizawl FC were present at the Football House, while NEROCA FC, TRAU FC, Real Kashmir FC, Rajasthan United FC, Delhi FC, Shillong Lajong FC attended the meeting virtually.

Out of the IWL clubs, Gokulam Kerala FC, Kickstart FC, HOPS FC, Sethu FC, Odisha FC were present at the Football House, while East Bengal FC, and Sports Odisha attended the meeting virtually.

"This is a new dawn, and the AIFF management is looking to take the leagues in the country to the next level. At times when we sit across the table, we tend to think only of what can benefit us, but we need to put all such differ-ences aside and think of solutions that will benefit all parties involved here," the president Chaubey was quoted as saying in an AIFF media release.

"I am sure all of you are looking for good players, quality administrators, quality media engagement, and so on. I am glad to tell all of you that this time we aim to do better for the I-League and the IWL," he added.

Secretary General Dr Prabhakaran said," We are working on creating the right impact and value for the Hero I-League and Hero IWL. It is our responsibility to ensure that the league is sustainable for the clubs, and to make it more competitive."

The discussions were held on a range of topics regarding the formats of the two leagues, the subsidies disbursed to the clubs, the qualities of the pitches and broadcast, the regulation on foreign players, and much more.

"The AIFF discussed the possibility of having the I-League in different formats. A lengthy discussion was held on the pros and cons of the formats, which the AIFF management took note of. A decision on the same will be tak-en at a later date, taking into consideration the opinions of all stakeholders," the media release further said. IANS

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