Rebels ask AIFF to put house in order

In an unprecedented development clubs owned or sponsored by the corporate sector have told the All India Football Federation in no uncertain terms that either it conducts the National League in a professional manner of face the prospect of a parallel league. Faced with such an ultimatum the AIFF has postponed the league, which was scheduled to kick-off on November 25. New dates will be announced on November 26.

The trouble brewing in the AIFF came to a head with nine of the 12 participating clubs rising in revolt over the way the National League is organised and threatening to boycott this year's league.

Of the nine clubs, the three main Calcutta outfits, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Md. Sporting are heavily sponsored by United Breweries, the chairman of which company Mr. Vijay Mallya is very keen on putting Indian football on a firmer footing.

The idea of a parallel league is obviously only a threat. But it would be in the interest of the AlFF to treat the newly formed Indian Premier Football Association (IPFA) seriously. Apart from the big three of Calcutta, the IPFA includes Mumbai's Mahindra United, Goan clubs Salgaocar and Zee Churchill, Calcutta Manaksia Tollygunge Agragami, FC Kochin of Kerala and JCT Mills of Phagwara.

The clubs met in Mumbai on Saturday night under the chairmanship of industrialist Vijay Mallya to formalise a plan of action to force the AIFF into taking some positive steps.

Besides Mallya, the IPFA Board has Anand Mahindra, Shivanand Salgaocar, P.V. Paul, V.K. Rekhi and Kalyan Ganguly, all associated with the corporate world, as directors.

Shaken by the sudden development, the AIFF president Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi had a meeting with Mallya on Sunday morning and later said that the matter would be sorted out soon. " I will address all the issues raised by the clubs at an emergency meeting of the NFL committee as well as the AIFF executive."