Restructuring could see Mohun Bagan, East Bengal in ISL next season: AIFF

A unified league is not in the offing but the All India Football Federation (AIFF) remains open to I-League clubs, most notably Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, playing the 2019-20 Indian Super League as part of a proposed restructuring.

"Provided they (I-League clubs) fulfil the ISL criteria, it is possible as part of restructuring," AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said Wednesday.

Fulfilling franchisee fee of Rs 15 crore is one of the criteria.

While the AIFF has been looking to merge the two domestic leagues, there are a number of issues that need to be addressed.

The arrival of Quess as sponsors has given East Bengal financial boost while Mohun Bagan are in talks with ATK to collaborate.

"Talks are in advanced stages between Mohun Bagan and ATK," a source monitoring the development said.

National team coach Stephen Constantine's contract runs till January 19, 2019 and Das said the performance of the national team in the AFC Asian Cup and the coach's wish will be taken into account when the time comes for renewal.

With plenty of optimism after an impressive run, the Indian team is leaving Thursday to play Oman in an international friendly on December 27, entering the final phase of preparation for the Asian Cup. The continental showpiece will be held in the UAE from January 5 to February 1.

The team is likely to play a club side based in the Gulf on December 30.

Ahead of the team's participation in the Asian Cup, AIFF president Praful Patel termed the country's fourth participation in the AFC tournament a "precursor to India's goal to achieve a berth in the FIFA World Cup by 2026."
"We are mentally and physically prepared. We wish the team all the very best and they have the full support of the AIFF."
"The whole nation should support the national team and should fully get behind them. It is imperative that the nation roots for them and as the tournament is in UAE, I hope we will get a lot of support there."
"We have tried our best to prepare in the best possible fashion. We wanted to play big teams and strong teams like we did against China, Jordan. We next play Oman on December 27. We have got the right amount of competition to build us and are ready."