AIFF plans to introduce transfer fee for players

KOLKATA: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is mulling the option of introducing transfer fees for footballers in the coming season. If implemented, a club will have to pay the club or academy from which they will pick up any footballer.
The idea gained ground after AIFF thought of revamping the Indian football structure which might see Indian Super League replacing the ongoing I-League.As all ISL clubs have to focus on youth development and build up academies, the clubs thereby will stand to earn some money by selling their academy products in the open market from now on.
Even those clubs which will not get a chance to play in the revamped league, can still carry on their youth development programme by earning from this transfer fees and help play the role of supply line of Indian footballers.
AIFF sources said that not only ISL-playing clubs but efforts are on to bring all clubs playing in whatever divisions under this transfer fee category. In that way small clubs can also have a healthy budget for their next season by selling players.
"Fees have to be paid even if players are picked from AIFF-registered football academies of the country," the source added.
The AIFF is keen to bring more professionalism in Indian football and introducing transfer fee which is common in Europe and Latin American countries, is seen as a step in that direction only.
"We hope this will bring more transparency in players' transfer process in the future as everything will be done in black and white now," he said.