Comparing I-League to ISL not fair: AIFF secretary

All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Kushal Das Thursday said it "isn't fair" to compare the I-League to the cash-rich Indian Super League (ISL).

"There's always a comparison among the ISL and the Hero I-League which isn't fair. The ISL was created for a purpose and it has had a rub-on effect on the Hero Federation Cup and the Hero I-League. The appetite for football has been created and it's here to grow from here," Das said at the FICCI Goal 2015 meet at the FICCI Federation House here.

It was in October 2014 that the inaugural edition of the ISL kicked off amidst much fanfare at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. The final in Mumbai saw Atletico de Kolkata lift the trophy, beating Kerala Blasters FC 1-0.

"The I-League should be compared from what it was some three years back. At that time, we didn't have a sponsor while today Hero is on board for support for three editions. Today, courtesy the ISL, we can today afford to have all matches under the floodlights. The rub-on effect has been splendid."

Speaking about the AIFF's future endeavours, Das mentioned about the launch of the 'AIFF Strategic Plan.'

"We have a four-year Strategic Plan. It was launched by Jerome Valcke, secretary general, FIFA in 2014. We sat down with all the stakeholders, did a situational and a swot analysis and that's how the roadmap was created. Now we know exactly what to do," Das said.