Indian football gets AFC boost

KUALA LUMPUR: In a ground-breaking session at the AFC House chaired by AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam, delegates of the AIFF and leading Indian clubs discussed various issues regarding the future of the game in the country. 

As per FIFA’s ‘Win in India, with India’ initiative, Indian League clubs will receive artificial turfs to boost their infrastructural facilities. The pitches are being offered to those clubs who have grounds of their own or on long-term leases from their respective state governments. 

A decision to set up a committee, headed by AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam, to steer Indian football into a new era of professionalism was also taken during the one-day workshop sponsored by the AFC.

The AFC President strongly raised the issue of revenue sharing with the fourteen i-League teams addressing the fact that the money generated by Indian clubs does not cover their expenses and that the AIFF should distribute the revenue generated by the league between the participating teams.

 

Also under discussion was the possibility of a full-fledged second and third division to be added to the current professional league setup with the AIFF stepping in to help clubs in finding sources for revenue generation and sustainability. President Bin Hamman also expressed concern over the many state leagues across the country that run parallel to the i-League, saying that the two need to be 'separated' and clubs in the top tier should not play in the regional circuit.