AIFF to go ahead with league

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, NOV. 26. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) seemed to have closed ranks against the challenge posed by the Indian Premier Football Association (IPFA) as it decided on Sunday to go ahead with the fifth edition of the National Football League (NFL) from December 10.

The League was earlier scheduled for a November 28 start and still later the start was advanced to November 25.

Rejecting, by implication, the demand of the IPFA that the League be deferred till elections to the AIFF were held on December 16, the AIFF indicated that it was prepared to go ahead with the NFL without the top clubs in case such a situation arose. It also named five teams to replace those that might withdraw in the eventuality of the IPFA carrying out its threat.

Briefing mediapersons after an emergency meeting of the Executive Committee, also attended by the representatives of the NFL clubs' State associations and emergency NFL Committee members, here on Sunday, the AIFF President, Mr. Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, said that the ``AIFF family'' was totally united to launch the NFL on December 10, ``come what may''.

At the meeting, a resolution proposed by Goa and seconded by the Indian Football Association (IFA), Calcutta, was passed, calling for the launch of the NFL on December 10 and asking state associations to take appropriate disciplinary action against defaulting teams.

The teams are being asked to reconfirm their participation in the League by 7 p.m on December 4 to the Chairman of the NFL. ``Non- compliance of this resolution on the appointed date and hour deemed to have been taken (sic) as non- participation of their endorsed teams,'' the resolution stated.

The following teams, as per priority, were listed as stand-by teams in case of withdrawals: BSF, Jalandhar, Dempo Sports Club, Goa, Mohammedan Sporting, Calcutta, HAL, Bangalore and Indian Bank, Chennai.

Asked why the meeting had named only five teams in the stand-by list and not eight or nine as would be indicated by the strength of the IPFA, Mr. Dasmunsi said that the problem seemed to be with regard to five teams. He would not, however, name them. He pointed out that till date not a single club had indicated that it would withdraw from the NFL for any reason.

The Chairman of the NFL committee was authorised to release the revised fixtures on December 6 after a meeting of the NFL emergency committee on December 5 here.

Eighteen officials attended Sunday's meeting. Two of the Executive Committee members could not be present. The Secretary of the Mohun Bagan club, Mr. Anjan Mitra, ``neither opposed nor supported'' the resolution, according to Mr. Dasmunsi. Mr. Mitra informed the meeting that he would be consulting his `friends' (within the IPFA) before making known his stand.

Mr. Mitra later addressed the mediapersons and re- iterated the IPFA stand that in case its demands were not met by the AIFF its member clubs would not participate in the NFL. He was, however, not clear about what IPFA's next step would be when asked whether there would be a parallel League.

Mr. Dasmunsi said that most of the points raised by the IPFA could be taken up only at the general body meeting of the federation. He was agreeable to a revenue-sharing formula being worked out in case the IPFA brought in more sponsors. The AIFF's agreement with Doordarshan for television coverage would run its course for two more years and Mr. Dasmunsi said that he was not in favour of contemplating a change in this area unless all the implications were studied including those concerning uplinking of television signals.

The federation was prepared to give increased representation to the clubs in the NFL committee, one of the demands of the IPFA, Mr. Dasmunsi said. He added that the NFL could be a five-month affair with two matches in the week-ends, as suggested by the IPFA. But that could be from the sixth edition only.

Mr. Dasmunsi appealed to the state associations and clubs to make the NFL a success. He also lauded the contributions made by Mr. Vijay Mallya and the others in the IPFA in promoting the clubs. He hoped that the sponsors would come back to support the NFL after having ``maintained some distance'' because of the ongoing wrangle. He was not prepared to discuss possible sponsors, saying that sponsorship was the AIFF's headache.

Mr. Dasmunsi said it was a misconception that the AIFF had held back large amounts of prize money due to clubs from the earlier editions of the NFL. He added that the federation had disbursed about Rs 15 crores for the earlier editions and about 75 per cent of the prize money for the last edition had been distributed.

``We want to give more to the clubs, but the clubs have to make the NFL more attractive,'' said Mr. Dasmunsi.

In the developing election run-up manoeuvrings, the first round seemed to have gone in favour of Mr. Dasmunsi. The presence of the AIFF Secretary, Mr. K. N. Mour, at the meeting as well as at the press briefing, prompted Mr. Anjan Mitra to comment: ``The IPFA has managed to get the parents united.'' Also of significance was the seconding of the resolution by the IFA.

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