The fairytale development of football in the northeast could come to a grinding halt if I-League is reduced to being the second tier of the country’s game next season. That could force passionate clubs of the region to stay away from the big show while cash-rich teams hog limelight. TOI listens to the left-out voices:On December 29 last year, a bizarre incident was reported in this newspaper. Due to some “clerical gaffe” — either on the part of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) or the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) — the only player from the I-League representing India in the 23-man Asian Cup squad, East Bengal defender Salam Ranjan Singh, had been listed as a player from Indian Super League’s Kerala Blasters.Even if it may have been a typing faux pas, the news was representative of the kind of hostile attitude that India’s top football league has been subject to from Indian football’s governing body. Since the inception of its sibling ISL five years back, I-League has lost the prestige and favours that the premier league of a country is supposed to get from its parent body.Invariably, there has been a backlash from the I-League clubs, who formed a seven-member private association to fight the move of leaving 30 of the league’s games from being telecast live. They had also joined forces to protest the AIFF’s announcement of reducing the clubs’ allowance from Rs 75 lakh to Rs 45 lakh.But the biggest setback is still to come. With the one-city-one-club clause of the deal between Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) and the franchises losing its relevance from next season, and talks of Kolkata giants East Bengal and Mohun Bagan joining ISL, it will further dent the small clubs’ cause. AIFF then may take the unprecedented step of making the younger, still less popular but exclusive money-rich ISL the top league in the country.And the region that would be most affected by this move is the northeast. The clubs from this part of the country have strived to find a place in the top division and were on the way to cement their place in Indian football consciousness based on their performance. With Aizawl FC winning the I-League crown in 2016-17, clubs from the northeast had stamped their authority not just in being suppliers of talent for the national team but as entities capable of beating the best.But this fairytale development that had caught the imagination of the whole country could come to a grinding halt if the I-League is reduced to being the second tier. With none among Aizawl FC, NEROCA FC or Shillong Lajong having the resources to compete with the cash-rich ISL franchises and unlikely to produce the huge deposit money for a spot in the IMG-Reliance-promoted league, it could mean a painful journey backwards.With NorthEast United FC the only representation from the region, it could be a huge dampener for the supporters while being detrimental to the development of the sport at grassroots level. Incidentally, the commitment of ISL in developing Indian football is reflected in the fact that most of them, in spite of the mandatory academy, depend on clubs like Shillong Lajong, Aizawl FC and others as their supply line.What makes matters more ironic is the fact that AFC nominated I-League for Asia’s sports industry awards — SPIA 2018 — where it won silver in the category of Best Developing Football League of the Year.In spite of claims that promoting ISL would be beneficial for Indian football, it is hard to fathom how that can be achieved by uprooting an established system for one competitively lower and with far less following. With the euphoria of climbing the ladder of Fifa rankings over (India dropped out of the top-100 last week), it could be suicidal if Indian football takes this step.But who is listening?Coaches SpeakWe have to wait and see what the final decision is and plan accordingly. As of now we can hope that All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) have a good plan and will take a positive decision on this. Whatever it is, aim is to develop football and make sure every corner of the country is playing. As for the northeast players, whatever the decision may be, they will be playing in I-League or the Indian Super LeagueStanley Rosario, Current Aizawl coachWhat I have seen in the northeast clubs (first with Aizawl and now with NEROCA) is that the boys here are very disciplined, energetic and skilful. With proper guidance they can serve India. I think I-League has given the northeast clubs a great platform and whatever the federation decides they should do that keeping in mind the best interests of domestic football. A lot of talented youngsters are playing in these clubs and they should not be deprived of playing in the top tierManuel Retamero Fraile I Current Neroca coachWhatever may be ahead of us, there should be a clear picture regarding the structure of top-tier football in the country. I hope federation will decide what is good for Indian football and as soon as possible. ISL or I-League, players must not suffer for administrative delays. It’s very difficult for clubs like NEROCA, Aizawl or Lajong, who have small budget, to operate with an uncertain road aheadGift Raikhan I Former Neroca and Aizawl coach

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