AIFF to run ISL, I-League simultaneously in 2017-18 season

New Delhi: Indian football is set to have two leagues running simultaneously after the completion of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) decided in a league committee meeting, in New Delhi, on Wednesday.

Over the past three years, India has had two top leagues running in the country, with the franchise-based cash-rich Indian Super League (ISL) running from October to December, while the I-League, containing the traditional clubs in the country, running from January to March.

Later, the AIFF decided to overhaul the existing system, making ISL the premier league in the country, a decision that has met with widespread opposition from traditional Goa and Kolkata heavyweights like Sporting Clube de Goa, Salgaocar, East Bengal, and Mohun Bagan.

Now however, India’s apex football governing body has decided to run the two leagues simultaneously, after the completion of the U-17 World Cup, which is set to be held in India, in October.

Meanwhile, the AIFF also announced that the I-League will be broadcast on Star Sports from the coming season, with “much improved production quality”.