The question regarding the number of foreign players allowed in each I-League team for the 2017-18 season remained unanswered following a three-hour meeting of the All India Football Federation's (AIFF) League committee, which shifted the responsibility to the Federation's executive committee.
"This is a policy decision which will have to be made by the executive committee of the AIFF," said Subrata Dutta, the chairman of the League committee, after the meeting. Dutta did not specify when the 18-member executive committee - with AIFF president Praful Patel as its head -- will decide the matter.
The I-League currently allows teams to register and play a maximum of four foreigners, one of whom must be from a country from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). However, the AIFF had last month said that I-League clubs were seeking "permission to register eight foreign players. However, five out of the nine I-League clubs later came out in opposition of the plan.
With no clarity on the status of team composition, the I-League teams now find themselves in a quandary, especially as the league is scheduled to be held two months earlier than usual, in November, in order to be conducted alongside the Indian Super League.
Minerva FC owner Ranjit Bajaj said the lack of clarity made it impossible to form a team ahead of the season. "I really hope we are told what the team composition should be like. Right now we don't have any clarity on what the future plans for the I-League are," he said.
Mohun Bagan, one of the clubs that strongly pushed for eight foreigners, have found themselves in a difficult situation, having banked on the expectation that a higher number of foreign players would be permitted. "After the meeting between the clubs and the AIFF, we built our team keeping in mind the eight foreigner principle. We have already finalized five foreign players and sent them contracts too," said Debasish Dutta, secretary of Mohun Bagan.
The decision to have the matter decided by the executive committee has also come in for criticism. "The I-League clubs had agreed to the matter in the previous meeting. Expecting the executive to decide the matter is a jolt to us. We are starting our practice sessions for the Calcutta League on July 16th. We need to know who we can have in our team. We are sending a letter to the AIFF that you have to decide as early as possible because we have already finalized five foreign players," Dutta added.
While Bagan may have already shown their hand, other clubs, especially those on a tight budget, can't afford to do so. "If I decide to make a team with eight foreigners and find that I can only have five I will have to buy out their contracts. This will be an expense I can't manage," says Bajaj.
Bajaj said he had spoken to other team owners who said the indecision meant it was impossible to prepare for the I-League. "It puts us in the same position we were in last year. The last time around, we formed our team with 12 days to go. But we understood it was because we had only got admission to the league through the corporate route. This time we wanted to prepare well in advance. But it seems as if we will have to do the same last-minute preparation this year as well."
Bagan's Dutta admits the situation is far from ideal but says he has little choice but to press his demand. "We know what we are demanding is wrong for Indian football. We would also only want four foreign players. But where was this concern for Indian football when the ISL had 10 foreigners in its teams? The AIFF president Praful Patel said these two leagues will be conducted parallel and treated equally. So if we have to play with four foreigners, the ISL too must play with four foreigners. And if the ISL has eight foreigners, the I-League must also be permitted to have eight," Dutta said.