Report: AIFF set to make decision on reduction in number of foreigners

The committee will also discuss the inclusion of PIOs in the national team.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) will have a meeting on Friday, where it’s technical committee could possibly recommend a reduction in the number of foreign players in both the Indian Super League (ISL) and I-League from next season.

The current policy allows five players to start every game in each league, but there are concerns over the development of Indian players because of the overload of foreign talent. Indian national team head coach Igor Stimac has himself made it clear that there are too many foreign players involved and has voiced a need for reduction.

According to The Times of India, it may be too late to implement a 3+1 (three foreigners and one Asian) rule for the ISL next season due to teams already having made their signings and thus the AIFF are pondering on implementing it for the I-League.

A committee member said, “The ISL started well with marquee players and all that glamour to grab attention but it’s now a serious league. It’s a top-tier league approved by Asian Football Confederation (AFC). We must adopt the best practices and policies recommended by AFC."

“In India, the focus should be on quality, rather than quantity. Everyone will learn and progress if we have good foreign players. We can’t say we have quality at the moment,” said a member of the technical committee.”

Moreover, the technical committee is also likely to recommend a special slot for either a Person of Indian Origin (PIO) or Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) which is focused on encouraging the non-residential Indian players who have shown interest in appearing for the national team.

The committee will also discuss ways on how to move forward amid the coronavirus pandemic, as the national team’s training sessions in Turkey for later this year seem to have been shelved due to the situation.

An official said, “We have to see how best our national teams can start training again. Will the government allow camps, if we take adequate precautions? Another concern is our grassroots programme."

“How do we keep the kids interested in times like these when parents may be scared to send them out? We have to come up with some innovations," the official added.

There is still uncertainty regarding when exactly the next season will start because of the COVID-19 situation in the country. However,t the AIFF seems to be planning on a brighter future for Indian talent by discussing this much-needed limitation of foreign players hogging all the spotlight.