In an indication that an expanded version of the Indian Super League (ISL) could emerge as India's top league, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partners IMG-Reliance (IMG-R) have invited bids from "interested parties to enrol and participate" in the league from 2017-18. Not a single city from the north-east -- which produced two of the top five teams in the recently concluded I-League, including champions Aizawl FC -- has been included in the list of 10 cities that have been cited for prospective owners of the new teams.
A tender to this effect will be available between May 12 and May 24, and the bid documents will need to be submitted by May 25.
ESPN understands that while the AIFF is keen on having both the ISL and the I-League organised in the 2017-18 season, it is yet to be decided whether the leagues will be held simultaneously or not. However, in a season where the FIFA Under-17 World Cup will only conclude in the last week of October, it is almost certain that organising a 10-team ISL followed immediately by an I-League season might be impossible, thereby paving the way for the two leagues to run concurrently.
It is further understood that while the AIFF and IMG-R are keen on having the ISL recognised as an official league and propose sending one team from the ISL and one from the I-League as competitors in Asian Football Confederation (AFC) competitions from the coming season, the AFC have said that the I-League is the officially recognised league and will, therefore, serve as the qualifier for the AFC Champions League. The AIFF is expected to make a presentation soon to the AFC to make its restructuring plans formal.
"Bids are invited from prospective team owners in respect of 10-cities, ie, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Cuttack, Durgapur, Hyderabad, Jamshedpur, Kolkata, Ranchi, Siliguri and Thiruvananthapuram," said a release made available to the media. Three of these cities -- Durgapur, Siliguri and Thiruvananthapuram -- are from two states that already have existing franchises playing among the eight franchises: 2014 and 2016 champions Atletico de Kolkata and Kerala Blasters, who finished runners-up in both editions.
The release said that one to three new winning bidders shall be enrolled and awarded the right to participate in the ISL, and in case Kolkata is awarded to the winning bidder, the respective team shall hold its home games outside Kolkata for the next two ISL seasons. This is significant since recent reports have indicated that I-League clubs Bengaluru FC, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan have been sounded out about the possibility of playing in the ISL, with both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan being encouraged to consider shifting base to Siliguri and Durgapur, respectively. Ranchi and Jamshedpur are also closely linked with an industrial house that is being talked of as a corporate body interested in fielding a team in the ISL.
The release said that all bidding parties will need to "fulfil the eligibility criteria" and other requirements including "the business model and plan to develop the sport at the grassroots level", though it had no specific clause about the franchise fee of Rs 15 crore, which has been cited in the past as a point of contention between the AIFF and Kolkata clubs Mohun Bagan and East Bengal.