The All India Football Federation today decided not to hold the Federation Cup, the country's top league-cum-knock-out tournament, for the next 2-3 years while deciding to retain the system of relegation in the I-League.
There was speculation in the media that the Federation Cup would be scrapped altogether after Jammu and Kashmir host the tournament this season, but the AIFF in its executive committee meeting here, chaired by its president Praful Patel, decided to only put it "on hold" for 2-3 years.
"After detailed discussions, the Committee unanimously decided to change the format of Federation Cup to strengthen the 2nd Division League. All the members unanimously felt that for the next 2-3 years the Federation Cup should be kept on hold and instead the 2nd Division League and the U-19 League should be broadbased to include more teams and games," the AIFF said in a release.
"Furthermore, it was clarified that the format of the I-League and the 2nd Division in terms of promotion and relegation would stay the same," it said.
There were reports that some clubs have proposed to do away with the I-League relegation rule at least for the next couple of years. The ongoing I-League season (2014-15) has 11 teams, the least number since the tournament kicked off in 2008.
The Executive Committee decided to appointed CEOs in five state units at the cost of the AIFF in an effort to further promote football in various states.
Further, as per the AIFF Strategic Plan, the federation, with the support from FIFA, will also improve the capacities of the state associations hosting the FIFA 2017 Under-17 World Cup by appointing Technical Directors.
"We will appoint the CEOs who will be on deputation for the next two years," Patel said.
AIFF's roadmap 'Laskhya' also advocated for the state associations appointing their CEOs.
