The FSDL on Thursday released ISL 2023-24 schedule. The 10th edition of Indian Super League (ISL) starts on 21st September 2023 and will clash with the Asian Games 2023 which will start on 23rd September.
Keeping this in mind, AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey had urged the FSDL to postpone the tournament by 10 days so that India could send the best team for the Asian Games.
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AIFF President’s plea
Talking to The Times of India on Wednesday, Chaubey had said, “I’ll be speaking to people in the FSDL to defer the league by 10 days and start it sometime in October so that we can field a full-strength team at the Asiad. The honour of representing the country on the global stage is above all. The national interest should come first and that’s what I would try to explain to clubs and FSDL.”
“It’s win-win situation for everyone (if the ISL is postponed by 10 days) and just requires cooperation from everyone. The clubs can start the league with their full squads without having to miss out on their services. So, instead of September 21 start, get the league underway, possibly after 10 days. This explanation by clubs that the Asian Games falls outside the FIFA international match window can’t form the basis to deny our players a chance to represent the nation on the global stage. One must understand that India comes first. I’ll speak to the club owners in my personal capacity as an AIFF president to release the players in national interest,” the AIFF President added.
FSDL’s reply
However, those pleas fell on deaf years as FDSL ruled out any possibility of postponing the tournament.
“The ISL 10 season schedule to begin on September 21st has been created and approved with extensive consultations involving all stakeholders, including the AIFF. Basis the recommendations of AIFF on the league window, the final start dates were calanderised,” an FSDL spokesperson told News18.
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