'I-League-Indian Super League merger only way ahead for Indian football'

NEW DELHI: With the I-League-Indian Super League (ISL) merger gathering steam, forcing the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to call for an emergency meeting to address the nagging issue this Friday, Confederation of African Football (CAF) general secretary Hicham El Amrani made plain that there is no way two leagues can run together for the good of the game. Asked whether two leagues can survive at the same time, Amrami, who was in the capital to attend a conference on sports business, told TOI: "I don't think so. I don't think it's sustainable. India should look at the positives each league is bringing. There should be a way to create the ultimate engine product that can be sustained throughout the year and not for a short period of time." Ever since the news of Pune FC and Bharat FC shutting shop broke, a question mark has arisen over the already beleaguered I-League, living in the shadow of its superior kin ISL. While Pune FC, India's first professional club, gave rise to fears by not attending the I-League's core committee's meeting last month, Bharat FC ­ a Bengaluru FC-esque corporate club which came into existence only a year back ­ have not signed a single player, letting even Ashutosh Mehta (Mumbai City FC) and Justin Stephen (Chennaiyin FC) go once they are done with the ISL.According to the CAF official, there is no way two separate leagues ­ one having the traditional fan base and the other marketing razzmatazz ­ can dovetail into one being. "The ISL brings marketing skills, professionalism of organisations. Those could be used and integrated into the I-League that has a fan base. There is nothing worse than clubs not representing the community and giving the fans something to cheer for."ISL obviously has got the buzz going and there is a lot of positivity around it, but that in the long run has to be integrated with the national league for Indian football to move in the right direction," said Amrani, who took over the reins from Mustapha Fahmy in 2011. AIFF counterpart Kushal Das, meanwhile, confirmed that Friday's meeting will revolve around 'merger' lines.Follow TOI Sports on Twitter >>> @TOISportsNews