OCI players are foreigners, Indian striker not mandatory, says AIFF | Goa News
Panaji: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has reversed its general body decision that made it compulsory for clubs to field an India striker in the starting 11 and include an additional Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholder among the foreign contingent.After its virtual general body meeting on June 20, AIFF said it “proposed and approved” that in the Indian Super League (ISL) and Indian Football League (IFL), the top two tiers of Indian football, clubs may field a starting eleven comprising three foreign players and one OCI player. That decision was later opposed by clubs who said it would drive wage bills and place the league’s financial sustainability under strain.On the day the AIFF signed a four-year agreement with 14 ISL clubs, handing over the commercial rights for the first time, deputy secretary general M Satyanarayan said clubs were only being encouraged to enlist OCI cardholders to play in the league.“There are six foreigners (who can be registered), clubs can get some OCIs,” Satyanarayan said on Tuesday. “AIFF doesn’t interfere in telling the clubs what to do. We just set out the broad outlines. As and when there are directions from the (sports) ministry, we will implement it, maybe from the subsequent season. As of now, we are telling the clubs: if you want, please enlist OCI’s to play in the league. Other than that, as of now, there is no change in the way they get their players.”FC Goa CEO Ravi Puskur made it clear that the clubs prefer status quo, at least for the season ahead: six foreigners to be registered and four to play.“If someone holds an OCI card, he will be registered as a foreigner,” said Puskur, who was present in the Capital for the media briefing, alongside AIFF officials. “We will look at the colour of the passport rather than the OCI card.”AIFF has also done a U-turn on the move to field an Indian striker in the starting 11, a decision that came after the general body meeting, comprising its executive committee and representatives of all state associations.“We are leaving it to the clubs. We all know that the stronger the league, the better the Indian team. The clubs are aware that one of our Achilles heel has been the lack of a good striker, so hopefully they will help. This is something we cannot implement.“You can’t tell clubs to field a number 9 because, finally, it is for the coach (to decide). Every match, the coach’s tactics will differ; some matches they want to win, some maybe they will be happy just to draw. It’s very difficult for us or even clubs to implement. We are not insisting on this, but broadly, they know that we need to focus on getting some good strikers, so we will work towards that,” said Satyanarayan.
