AIFF emergency committee to decide on I-League CEO

Kolkata: The AIFF will take a decision on the long-pending appointment of I-League chief executive officer besides the announcement of Federation Cup final round draws in its emergency committee meeting here on Sunday.

The committee, consisting of president Praful Patel, vice-presidents Subrata Dutta, AR Khaleel and Ankur Dutta, treasurer Hardev Jadeja and general secretary Alberto Colaco, will also constitute a new I-League Committee. Other matters on the agenda include discussion on the views by the state associations on the question of allowing five foreigners, including a PIO and an Asian player, in the I-League club rolls. “The main matters on the agenda are on I-League CEO’s post, Federation Cup final round draw, discussion on the five foreigner issue, I-League review and the senior national and Under-23 side camps in Goa,” Subrata Dutta told reporters.Three candidates – current AIFF Competition Director Anil Kamat, former Mahindra coach Harish Rao and Leisure Sports Management top official Sunando Dhar – had appeared for the interview of the I-League CEO’s post before the same emergency committee on November 12. The Federation Cup final round will be held from December 15 in Guwahati and the winner will book a berth in next year’s AFC Cup, Asia’s second tier club competition. Regarding the five-foreigner issue, national captain Bhaichung Bhutia and coach Bob Houghton had expressed the view that allowing more foreigners – than the earlier four – will reduce the pool of Indian players from which national team players will be selected.The AIFF, which had given the green signal on five foreigners from this I-League season, had later asked all the state associations to give their views on the issue by this month. Patel is also likely to meet Bhutia, who is the president of Football Players’s Association of India, to discuss how best the grievances of the players from time to time can best be resolved through an official forum. The emergency committee will also discuss about the date and country against which India will play an international friendly. The AIFF had planned the national team to play against Asian champions Iraq on December 12 at Delhi’s Ambedkar Stadium on December 12. But, Iraq were banned by FIFA recently so AIFF will have to find another country for the friendly. PTI