Within hours of kick-off, I-League clubs unaware of official broadcaster

The I-League clubs on Thursday asked the All India Football Federation to delay the league following the ongoing broadcast issue which is yet to be resolved.

The 18th season of the I League is scheduled to start tomorrow with Sreenidi Deccan FC and Gokulam Kerala FC in Hyderabad but the drama around the official broadcaster continues.

The 12 participating clubs have expressed frustration over AIFF's failure to finalize a broadcast deal with Sony Network.

In a strongly worded letter to the AIFF president, the clubs warned they would "not commence the league unless confirmation of the broadcast was received by 8 pm on Thursday."

"I-league clubs request you to send us confirmation of Sony Network as the official broadcaster of the I-League 24-25 by 8 pm tonight, failing which I-league clubs will not commence the league as scheduled to commence tomorrow," they wrote.

"To add to our frustrations, hefty fines averaging Rs 10 lakh per club on account of failure in Club Licensing have been communicated to clubs last night," the letter stated.

"Many clubs have been fined up to 25 lakhs despite repeated assurances by the president that no infrastructure fines will be applied to the clubs."

"The issue of stadium infrastructure was discussed in detail where it was noted by the president and the clubs that since the stadiums in India are government-owned and clubs do not have any direct control over them and are only renting the stadiums for a limited period, it is unfair to fine clubs for the same."

The clubs further clarified their position on the deal with the broadcaster.

"For the sake of clarity, I-league clubs are not refusing to play the league, we are willing, ready, and on stand-by to play our matches as soon as we receive confirmation of Sony Network broadcasting the league, even if this means that the league may need to be delayed by few weeks.

"All I-League clubs stand together in our decision as this matter is not only about broadcast but the survival and future of our clubs and the I-league as a whole," they added in the letter.

However, Gokulam Kerala owner VC Praveen confirmed to PTI that his team is already in Hyderabad as it remains to be seen if the season kicks off as per schedule.

The drama hasn't done any good to the federation's reputation or the league that has been sidelined. Barely any promotional material on social media is visible from the Federation's side, and the clubs are frustrated at the federation's lack of accountability.