Dempo may reconsider IFL future over fee hike | Goa News
Panaji: Dempo Sports Club have told the All India Football Federation (AIFF) they could be “forced to reconsider future participation in the Indian Football League” if there’s no rethink on the substantial increase in the financial contribution of each club.The five-time national champions are working their way up from the second division I-League but, unlike in the past, don’t want to spend senselessly. In a recent email to the AIFF deputy secretary general M Satyanarayan and all participating clubs, club president Shrinivas Dempo said it is essential that financial planning for the IFL remains realistic and prudent.“Any significant shortfall in projected revenues would adversely affect the participating clubs and may compel them to reassess the long-term viability of their participation in the competition,” said Dempo. “The projected financial contribution expected from each club has increased substantially, from approximately ₹30 lakh last season to around ₹1.30 crore for the forthcoming season, representing an increase of over 300%.“Should our club be required to accept such a substantial increase, the matter would inevitably have to be placed before the club managing committee and subsequently before the Board of Directors of the holding companies for review. This could adversely affect our investment in our academy and youth development programmes or even lead us to reconsider our future participation in the IFL.”Dempo’s email follows a general council meeting earlier this month in the Capital.In one of the virtual meeting of the representatives of participating teams, some clubs requested that the IFL should start after the AIFF executive committee elections are held. The former champions have urged the federation to begin Indian football’s second-tier club competition on the scheduled date (Oct 16) or defer the competition by no more than two weeks.“Any further delay in starting the league will adversely affect clubs like Dempo, who have already signed contracts with Indian and foreign players,” said the club owner.Along with Salgaocar FC and Sporting Clube de Goa, Dempo were one of the three Goan clubs who pulled out of the I-League in 2016, citing an unclear roadmap. They launched Dempo Football Academy the following year, focussing on grassroots and re-entered the national stage only two seasons ago, on sporting merit, after winning the I-League 2.Dempo’s concerns come at a worrying time in Indian football when top-tier Indian Super League (ISL) club side Jamshedpur FC, owned by Tata Steel, have decided to discontinue first team operations.“We earnestly request AIFF to invite sponsorship proposals without further delay and to finalise the IFL budget, including the financial contribution expected from the clubs, only after the sponsorship exercise has been completed,” said Dempo.The club has asked the governing body to restrict the expenditure to a maximum of Rs 10 crore and adopt the same revenue and expenditure sharing formula used last season, where the clubs held a 60% share and AIFF held 40%.Dempo also called for a cautious approach to the proposed infrastructure, pitch and lighting standards. The club pointed out that many IFL venues are not owned by participating clubs and said sufficient time should be provided to meet the new requirements.On scheduling, Dempo backed flexible kickoff timings but stressed that clubs must be given adequate advance notice. It also sought immediate circulation of the draft fixture list so that clubs can confirm the availability of their match and training venues.
