In what could lead to a face-off with the All India Football Federation, 14 I-League clubs today "unanimously" decided not to release players for an IPL-style tournament planned early next year by the AIFF and its marketing and commercial partner IMG-Reliance.
"It was unanimously decided that no club will release on loan or otherwise any player for the IMG-Reliance tournament and will not take any IMG-Reliance contracted players on loan or otherwise," said a statement of the I-League clubs' umbrella body -- Indian Professional Football Clubs Association (IPFCA) -- after a meeting here.
Thirteen of the clubs' representatives, with clear mandate from the club owners, were present at the meeting. Sporting Clube de Goa was not represented but it gave its "vehement support to all decisions and suggestions" taken up at the meeting, the statement added.
In another defiant stand, the clubs said they would conduct a tournament of their own during the period when the IMG-Reliance-organised league will be held.
According to a report on a British website, the IMG-Reliance tournament, scheduled between January 15 and March 15, will see retired football stars such as David Beckham, Raul Gonzalez and Michael Owen in action in the franchise-based league.
Chirag Tanna, who spoke to reporters after the IPFCA meeting on behalf of all the I-League clubs, maintained that it was not a confrontational approach taken by them against the AIFF.
In fact, he went to the extent of saying that the AIFF themselves had no clue about the details of the proposed IPL-style tournament planned by its marketing partner.
"I am led to believe that even AIFF (officials) don't have many details about the tournament and that IMG Reliance are calling the shots. None of the clubs have got any communication about this tournament from AIFF," said Tanna.
The clubs were also unhappy about the new I-League structure planned by AIFF, about which too there has been no communication, and the ten-fold increase in participation fee from earlier Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh.
