Shillong, Jun 20: The All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) league committee has proposed to begin the 2018-19 season of the I-League in the second half of October, it was revealed today.
That would put the start around a month earlier than the 2017-18 edition, which began at the end of November. This would also be the earliest start to an I-League season since 2013-14, which began in September.
However, there will be a break in the league during the Asian Cup, in which India is participating.
Meanwhile, the AIFF’s committee also scrapped the one AFC player quota for I-League teams, meaning that clubs have free rein in terms of signing foreign players. The number of foreigners teams can sign remains six, though from the 2019-20 season this will be reduced to five.
Other items discussed in the New Delhi meeting, which was chaired by AIFF Vice-President Subrata Dutta, included insisting on I-League clubs being ready with requisite infrastructure for live telecast of matches by mid-September and paying Rs 45 lakh as subsidy to I-League teams for their participation.
