Refs under pressure in twin leagues

● In the just concluded season there were glaring errors by referees in both I-League and ISL matches. As India does not have many quality supervising officials, top Indian referees were constantly alternating between the I- League and the ISL.

The status quo will remain in Indian football for the next season. There are several grounds why the much anticipated merger between the Indian Super League and the I-League will not materialise in the 2018- 19 season.

Time is a major reason why both the All India Football Federation and ISL promoters, Football Sports Development Limited, are not keen on expansion next season.

The 17th Asian Cup final round, for which India have qualified, is slated from January 5 to February 1, 2019 in the United Arab Emirates. National coach Stephen Constantine will require a training camp for his squad a month before the tournament commences.

Hence a long mid- season break in the ISL and I-League’s schedule is inevitable.

Even if both these leagues start in early October this year, it means the season will stretch to at least early April 2019.

If the ISL was to expand, then the time duration will further increase.

Hence the FDSL is unwilling to invite bids for more teams this season.

This implies that Kolkata clubs East Bengal and Mohun Bagan will not be a part of the fifth season of the ISL.

Last season the popular Kolkata clubs had refused to pay the franchise fee of ` 15 crore and also did not submit bid documents.

As all the other 10 franchises had agreed to the financial and technical terms before joining the ISL, special exemption could not be made for the Kolkata clubs. By not issuing the bid document, it gives all the concerned parties, FDSL, the Kolkata clubs and the AIFF more time to sort out this contentious issue.

It also gives the Kolkata clubs more time to consolidate their business model, improve their marketing and hiring of foreign players.

The boost in attendance figures of the recent 11th Hero I- League is also a cause for delaying the merger.

Despite not having the best Indian players and low budgets there was an overall increase of about 58 per cent among spectators.

This showed that fans are attracted to clubs, with regional loyalties like Minerva Punjab FC, Aizawl FC, Neroca FC ( Manipur) and Gokulam FC ( Kerala). So the AIFF has also wisely decided to buy time to sort out contractual and financial issues, before deciding on a merger.

The absence of a merger is also welcome news for newly crowned I- League champions Minerva Punjab FC, runnersup Neroca FC and newly established Gokulam FC. These clubs can further consolidate, by attracting more sponsors and increasing their local fan base and infrastructure.

But by holding two leagues simultaneously the AIFF will have to avoid certain pitfalls. The major problem is the availability of referees. In the just concluded season there were glaring errors by referees in both I- League and ISL matches.

As India does not have many quality supervising officials, top Indian referees were constantly alternating between the I- League and the ISL. This took a toll on their fitness and concentration. Matches were held daily in either the I- League or ISL and thus referees were shuttling between one city and another.

Hence their concentration level declined and there were many howlers.