East Bengal confirm potential ISL bid, Super Cup participation still up in the air

The official statement read that the club are going to bid for the ISL if the terms are financially acceptable.

East Bengal confirmed their intentions of bidding for a place in the Indian Super League (ISL) next season, but with a catch. In a meeting which took place in Bangalore between officials of Quess Corporation and executive members of East Bengal, a decision was taken on their stance on the ISL participation.

The Red and Gold Brigaders are willing to bid for the competition when the phase opens up, but only if the terms of joining are financially viable. This indicates that the Kolkata giants are still unwilling to pay the alleged 15 crore participation fee which is required and will stand its ground with their I-League allies.

A final decision on this matter should take place sometime next month, when East Bengal’s officials along with a host of other I-League clubs’ representatives have a crucial meeting with Praful Patel on the future of Indian Football. As it was discovered earlier this month, the Red and Gold Brigaders are firmly behind their allies and played a part in churning out the blueprint for the future of Indian Football.

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In this meeting, East Bengal’s stance on the Hero Super Cup, which begins on Friday, was also discussed. The Red and Gold Brigaders are still not sure about taking part in the competition and are going to stand behind the alliance created by the I-League clubs. The club stated that it would be “unethical” for them to back out of this alliance now and take part of the Super Cup when the other I-League clubs are unsure of it.

While the I-league clubs had confirmed their wishes to participate in the Super Cup, their demands haven’t been fulfilled yet. It was wished that the Super Cup qualifiers, which Minerva Punjab and Gokulam Kerala had forfeited a mark of protest, be taken place before the main competition started.  However, the AIFF didn’t agree to it and with the Super Cup main rounds starting tomorrow, it doesn’t seem like the I-league clubs are having their wishes fulfilled.

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In that case, we may see multiple clubs decide to forfeit their respective matches to protest against the injustice. East Bengal could also decide to walk away from their match against Delhi Dynamos on Saturday to toughen their relationship with the I-League alliance.

The Red and Gold Brigaders seem to be firmly behind the “unified league” structure and don’t want to bow to ISL’s rules and regulations in order to be granted a place in it. As Indian Football’s fate hangs in the balance, East Bengal seems firmly against relegating the I-League and like their compatriot clubs want a fair way into the top division of India.