Calling the pull out by the two Goan Clubs as knee jerk reaction, AIFF General Secretary, Kushal Das stated that the organisation along with their marketing partners, FSDL, have been transparent in sharing their thoughts with all the stake holders of Indian Football. He also stated that the draft shared by AIFF/FSDL on May 17th was only a proposal and suggestions were invited from all the stakeholders.
He also said that despite having long history and contributions by these clubs to Indian Football, they have been unable to create any solid fan base in order to sustain themselves.
Reacting to the allegations of the Clubs about financial matters, Mr. Sunando Dhar, CEO, I-League said: “The amount for fielding age-group sides in the respective competitions of AIFF which were pending since 2008, was agreed in an I-League committee meeting that the same would be adjusted against the I-League participation fees. This has been in practice for the last 3-4 years.”
