And thus it was decided. A century-old club – a club with one of the richest heritages in Indian football will be completing a merger with Indian Super League club ATK. The two Kolkata clubs merging may not come as a surprise anymore but the founding stones of the alliance were laid at a landmark meeting between Asian Football Confederation, ISL and I-League clubs Kuala Lumpur on October 14 last year.
The AFC in this meeting recognised ISL as the top league of Indian football and effectively demoted the I-League. AFC also recommended All India Football Federation to open entry to two I-League clubs into ISL by the end of 2020-21 season. Whether the merger signifies or follows those directives are murky at best considering the Bagan-ATK alliance is still one entity, rather than a fresh club entering the ISL.
Yesterday the RPSG group – which owns the two-time ISL champions ATK bought an 80% stake in the Kolkata legacy club, thus ending a will-they-won’t-they that has been going on for more than two years.
With Mohun Bagan now a part of the ISL from next year, East Bengal remains the last legacy club to be with the I-League. The rivalry that has been the lifeline of the I-League over the years might have come to an end, but the larger ramification of this move would have to be the decimation of the I-League as a premier competition. Once East Bengal finds a way to jump ship, the rest of the diverse clubs from all across India, and their futures, stand on shaky ground after the moves made today.
The AFC in this meeting recognised ISL as the top league of Indian football and effectively demoted the I-League. AFC also recommended All India Football Federation to open entry to two I-League clubs into ISL by the end of 2020-21 season. Whether the merger signifies or follows those directives are murky at best considering the Bagan-ATK alliance is still one entity, rather than a fresh club entering the ISL.
Yesterday the RPSG group – which owns the two-time ISL champions ATK bought an 80% stake in the Kolkata legacy club, thus ending a will-they-won’t-they that has been going on for more than two years.
With Mohun Bagan now a part of the ISL from next year, East Bengal remains the last legacy club to be with the I-League. The rivalry that has been the lifeline of the I-League over the years might have come to an end, but the larger ramification of this move would have to be the decimation of the I-League as a premier competition. Once East Bengal finds a way to jump ship, the rest of the diverse clubs from all across India, and their futures, stand on shaky ground after the moves made today.
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