Federation Cup will be on hold, as per AIFF

All India Football Federation (AIFF) in order to strengthen the second division League has decided to put a hold on Federation Cup for the next few years. The de-factor league cup in India has scripted many histories in Indian Football had its last edition played out and will remain shut down by AIFF.  For Indian Football patrons around the world, the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) Federation Cup founded in 1977 and conducted without a single faux pass for the last 38 years. It was a hallowed tournament to witness with the crème players participating in it. 

However, the time changed and Federation Cup started slipping in organizers eyes and this has been confirmed in the AIFF’s executive meeting, conducted in the capital on Thursday. It has been decided that Federation Cup would be kept on hold for a considerable period of time. But there is a good many possibilities that the tournament may never see the chance of seeing another edition being played out. It seemed that a glorious chapter of Indian Football is coming to its fag end. An official of the governing body stated, "After detailed discussions, the Committee unanimously decided to change the format of Federation Cup to strengthen the 2nd Division League. All the members unanimously felt that for the next 2-3 years the Federation Cup should be kept on hold and instead the 2nd Division League and the U-19 League should be broad-based to include more teams and games.”

As per the last updated records, Bengaluru FC will be the last ever champions of the Federation Cup, with Mohun Bagan winning the cup for almost 13 times. AIFF has also given itself a funding life line after disbanding the tournament with a close of Rs. 3 crore, 40 lakhs alone in the prize money. It has been declared that the broadcasting the 2nd Division League and U-19 League seems to include more teams and games becoming a top priority in India. Meanwhile with regards to the I-League and Club’s proposal to exempt last place finishers from relegation, the AIFF Executive Committee held its ground and smacked all the plans.

Praful Patel profile also remained core factor as the AIFF President that the federation will appoint CEOs who will monitor the game and will promote it in various pockets for the next two years. According to the dictum, “The format of the I-League and the 2nd Division in terms of promotion and relegation would stay the same.” With the clubs making heavy investment a stringent Club Licensing Criteria is to be followed. The Federation also decided to recruit Technical directors in all of the states that were under the domain of hosting the FIFA U-17 World cup in 2017, with the objective to improving capacities. According to the 'Lakshya' plan, CEOs would take charge to promote football in five specific state units.

Author’s Bio: Praful Patel profile in the AIFF Executive Meeting remained a core factor. He stressed on appointing CEOs in different areas. For more Praful Patel news, visit his social media pages on Facebook and Twitter. 

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