Forced by financial constraints, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) disbanded its developmental outfit Pailan Arrows, an I-League team based in Kolkata, on Thursday, says a report in The DNA.
The club originally called AIFF XI and later renamed Indian Arrows was slated to join I-League II Division but it gained steam and rolled into the I-League once Mahindra United disbanded. I-League CEO, Sunando Dhar said, “I was informed about the team before the I-League meeting, and it had become difficult to run the team as it did cost us money.”
“Moreover, the infrastructure at Pailan in the outskirts of the city is in a bad shape. We have no option but to pull the team out,” asserted an AIFF official.
Meanwhile a report in The Indian Express says, acute financial constraints and poor infrastructural facilities forced the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to disband its youth team, the Pailan Arrows. The decision was finalised during the federation's meeting with I-League club representatives in the capital on Thursday.
AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said the sponsors were not able to make a financial commitment, leaving them with little choice. The players also complained to the AIFF. The poor facilities at the accommodation provided by the sponsors and basic food requirements were met with a lot of difficulty.
"The place where the players were put up was not up to the mark and they (sponsors) found it hard to meet the caterer's demands. It was getting difficult for them to manage the expenses. We thought that rather than discontinuing the team in the middle of the season, we will do so now," Das said.
According to a report in The New Indian Express, Pailan Arrows had endured a troubled pre-season, first losing coach Arthur Papas to Dempo and then had its future thrown into doubt thanks to a stand-off between AIFF and team sponsors Pailan Group. It was also decided at the meeting that the I-League, now a 14-team affair, will start on September 21. The league will stop in January and will resume in March to accommodate IMG-Reliance’s proposed IPL-style tournament.
Meanwhile, the clubs also decided to revert back to the group and knockout format for the Federation Cup. The AIFF had in June announced that the Federation Cup would be held on a home-and-away format, but has now decided that the changes will only be applied from the 2014-15 edition. The tournament will be held from January 1-12.
