With the All India Football Federation (AIFF) mulling an Indians-only public sector units (PSU) league also involving teams from the Indian Super League (ISL), AIFF Vice-President Subrata Dutta said the move is intended to widen the selection pool for the national team.
"A corporate league would give better opportunity to promising players for their exposure. It would widen the job opportunities for the footballers who would not aspire or be able to turn professional. This league would also increase the team India probables," Dutta, who is also the chairman of the AIFF's League Committee, told IANS on Thursday.
In the committee meeting on Wednesday, a league was proposed involving PSUs like Air India and ONGC who have previously taken part in the I-League but are currently out of the tournament due to the AIFF's club licensing criteria, which bars government institutions from participating.
It would be a closed league in which the ISL teams will only be allowed to field their foreign players.
"The national coach would have the option to choose his squad from a larger pool of players," Dutta added.
If the league does take shape, the PSUs would have to bear its entire cost.
--IANS
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