Two Goa clubs that pulled out of I-League put 3 demands before AIFF

Salgaocar and Sporting Clube de Goa, two clubs that pulled out of the I-League to protest against All India Football Federation’s re-structuring proposals, have put up three demands before the AIFF if they have to reconsider the withdrawal.

Salgaocar and Sporting Clube de Goa, two clubs that pulled out of the I-League to protest against All India Football Federation’s re-structuring proposals, have put up three demands before the AIFF if they have to reconsider the withdrawal.

Salgaocar and Sporting Clube de Goa have put forward three demands before the AIFF if they have to reconsider their withdrawal. (HT File Photo)

The three demands were presented in a meeting held in Panaji between the owners of the clubs and the AIFF general secretary Kushal Das, I-League CEO Sunando Dhar and IMG-Reliance’s Chirag Tanna.

The two club owners Shivanand Salgaocar of Salgaocar and Peter Vaz of Sporting Clube de Goa, who decided to quit the I-League last week, put out a joint statement putting forward the three demands.

The three demands were: No forced relegation of I-League teams to a second tier league from the nation’s premier competition (All teams qualified for I-League should be part of the top league); No bidding process and no franchise fees for existing I-League clubs (merit being the only qualifying factor) and all governance issues should rest with AIFF exclusively.

Das agreed to call a meeting of all I-League clubs in order to elicit their views on the matter. He said he will consult with the AIFF president and the executive committee along with their marketing partners IMG-Reliance to revert back with a final binding proposal on or before July 31.

Salgaocar and Sporting Clube de Goa said that their decision to withdraw from the I-League stands unless they receive a final proposal/road map which includes the above mentioned three points.