For the 2020 AFC Champions League, the associations were allocated slots according to their association ranking which was published on 15 December 2017, which took into account their performance in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup, as well as their national team's FIFA World Rankings, during the period between 2014 and 2017. AFC Champions League: India reportedly gets 3rd AFC slot in what means to be a possible direct entry to the Champions League from 2021 edition. India is set to receive an added slot in the AFC competitions, which is rumoured to be a direct entry into the Champions League group stage round, which could turn out to be a major boost in India. Under Asian Football Confederation's member association ranking system issued in November 2019, India has been allotted one slot in the expanded AFC Champions League as the country occupied eighth. Indian clubs are set to get an additional slot in AFC competitions in 2021, possibly with a direct entry into the AFC Champions League (ACL) group stages. It would be the first time an Indian team would feature in Asia's elite club competition in more than 30 years - Goa-based Salgaocar were the last team to feature in group games of the. The All India Football Federation (AIFF), on Tuesday approached the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to allot an AFC Champions League qualification berth for the winner of the Indian Super League (ISL).
Indian Super League's winners could get a direct entry into the AFC Champions League group stage from the 2021 season after AFC's Competition's Committee recommended to increase the number of participating teams in Asia's premier club competition to 40 from the existing 32 in a meeting in Tokyo on Saturday.
A proposal that is yet to be approved by the AFC Executive Committee could see India get a total of three AFC slots: one in the Champions League group stages and two in the AFC Cup.
India currently have two AFC quotas with the ISL winners earning a place in the preliminary round of the AFC Champions League and the I-League champions going through to the group stages of the AFC Cup.
However, Scroll.in understands that it could change if India manage to be among the top-ten ranked member associations in the west zone of the AFC Club Competitions Rankings by the end of 2020 season.
Currently, six member associations each from west and east zones get a total of 12 slots to the AFC Champions League's group stages. But AFC's Competition's Committee has proposed to increase that number to ten member associations per zone to provide exposure to high-quality competition to more clubs across Asia.
India, who currently occupy the eighth spot in the west zone, are on course to have one of their clubs secure direct qualification to the group stages of the Champions League, but will have to maintain the aforementioned ranking till the end of next season.
One of the clubs reserving a berth the continent's showpiece event depends on the performance of Indian clubs in AFC club competitions. I-League champions Chennai City FC will enter the AFC Champions League preliminary round while Bengaluru FC will enter the group stages of the AFC Cup in the upcoming continental competitions as India's representatives.
Ninety per cent of the points that determine India's rank will be awarded depending on the performance of these clubs in the upcoming season. The remaining 10 per cent will be awarded based on India's Fifa ranking in 2020.
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The distribution of the slots will be as per the current status quo: ISL winners quality for the group stages of AFC Champions League while I-League winners will get the AFC Cup group stage slot. The destination of the third slot is a decision the All India Football Federation will have to zero in on.
However, if India fail to be among the top ten ranked nations in the west zone, then the ISL winners will get a place in the Champions League preliminary round, as is the case right now. Campground soaring eagle casino.
However, failure to get a direct entry into the AFC Champions League for an Indian club could see the nation lose a spot in the AFC Cup; all eliminated teams from the preliminary rounds are parachuted into the second-tier competition.
At a time, there can only be two Indian clubs in the group stages of the AFC Cup, and hence, India could be restricted to only two Asian slots if they fail to maintain their top-ten rank in AFC Club Competitions ranking of the west zone, and risk missing out on a Champions League spot.
India are currently less than a point ahead of Tajikistan in the rankings and sit three clear of Turkmenistan, who currently occupy the tenth spot in the west zone.
Apart from increasing the number of participating teams and member associations in the AFC's club competitions, the apex football body in Asia also announced that the winner of the Champions League will get a direct entry into next season's group stages. The AFC Cup champions, meanwhile, will be awarded a playoff spot to get into next season's Champions League.
The developments in the meeting in Tokyo are therefore highly significant for Indian football. It increases the stakes for Indian clubs to be in the ISL, which is the top tier of Indian football as things stand. The prize for winning the ISL too, could be bigger than ever.
Support our journalism by subscribing to Scroll+. We welcome your comments at letters@scroll.in.Related
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The All India Football Federation Tuesday decided to recommend the winners of Indian Super League to play in the AFC Champions League qualifiers, virtually according ISL the status of the country's top tier competition.
The executive committee of the AIFF, which met here, will recommend the Asian Football Confederation to 'positively' consider its request to grant ISL's winning team the ACL qualifier slot.
The winning team of the I-League, the official top tier competition till date, has so far been playing in the qualifying round of the ACL — Asia's top tier club competition. I-League 2017-18 champions Minerva Punjab FC played in the ACL qualifying round this year.
Normally, the slots of continental top-tier competition across the world are given to the clubs playing in the national top division leagues.
Under the ‘Entry Manual for AFC Club Competitions for 2017-2020', the ACL slots are distributed among teams of the member countries of Asia which plays in their respective national top division league.
'In the light of MRA as well as the fact that in the last 5 years the entire national squad are mostly being signed/playing for ISL clubs, and TV viewership and in-stadia audience having grown far more substantially vis-a-vis I-League, and ISL clubs complying with the entire AFC Club Licensing criteria, including strong grassroots, and youth development programmes which had also been certified by AFC, the AIFF Executive Committee recommends to the AFC to positively consider their request,' the AIFF said in a statement.
The MRA was signed in 2010 between the AIFF and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), which runs the the ISL. FSDL is a subsidiary of AIFF's commercial partners IMG-Reliance.
The ACL slot has been the bone of contention between the AIFF and six I-League clubs — Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Minerva Punjab, Churchill Brothers, Aizwal FC and Gokulam Kerala — which had said that giving ISL winners the ACL slot will demote the I-League to second tier competition.
They have also pointed out that ISL is a 'closed league' without promotion or demotion as is the case anywhere in the world.
In a meeting with these six I-League clubs on July 3, AIFF president Praful Patel had said he will approach the AFC to ensure that the status quo remains and both the league continue to co-exist for another 2-3 years.
The six I-League clubs accepted the AIFF's proposal to maintain the status quo but rejected the idea of ISL winners being given the ACL slot.
The matter even reached the doorsteps of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the six I-League clubs requesting him to set up an enquiry commission and 'probe the AIFF's functioning'.
For the 2020 AFC Champions League, the associations were allocated slots according to their association ranking which was published on 15 December 2017, which took into account their performance in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup, as well as their national team's FIFA World Rankings, during the period between 2014 and 2017. AFC Champions League: India reportedly gets 3rd AFC slot in what means to be a possible direct entry to the Champions League from 2021 edition. India is set to receive an added slot in the AFC competitions, which is rumoured to be a direct entry into the Champions League group stage round, which could turn out to be a major boost in India. Under Asian Football Confederation's member association ranking system issued in November 2019, India has been allotted one slot in the expanded AFC Champions League as the country occupied eighth. Indian clubs are set to get an additional slot in AFC competitions in 2021, possibly with a direct entry into the AFC Champions League (ACL) group stages. It would be the first time an Indian team would feature in Asia's elite club competition in more than 30 years - Goa-based Salgaocar were the last team to feature in group games of the. The All India Football Federation (AIFF), on Tuesday approached the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to allot an AFC Champions League qualification berth for the winner of the Indian Super League (ISL).
Indian Super League's winners could get a direct entry into the AFC Champions League group stage from the 2021 season after AFC's Competition's Committee recommended to increase the number of participating teams in Asia's premier club competition to 40 from the existing 32 in a meeting in Tokyo on Saturday.
A proposal that is yet to be approved by the AFC Executive Committee could see India get a total of three AFC slots: one in the Champions League group stages and two in the AFC Cup.
India currently have two AFC quotas with the ISL winners earning a place in the preliminary round of the AFC Champions League and the I-League champions going through to the group stages of the AFC Cup.
However, Scroll.in understands that it could change if India manage to be among the top-ten ranked member associations in the west zone of the AFC Club Competitions Rankings by the end of 2020 season.
Currently, six member associations each from west and east zones get a total of 12 slots to the AFC Champions League's group stages. But AFC's Competition's Committee has proposed to increase that number to ten member associations per zone to provide exposure to high-quality competition to more clubs across Asia.
India, who currently occupy the eighth spot in the west zone, are on course to have one of their clubs secure direct qualification to the group stages of the Champions League, but will have to maintain the aforementioned ranking till the end of next season.
One of the clubs reserving a berth the continent's showpiece event depends on the performance of Indian clubs in AFC club competitions. I-League champions Chennai City FC will enter the AFC Champions League preliminary round while Bengaluru FC will enter the group stages of the AFC Cup in the upcoming continental competitions as India's representatives.
Ninety per cent of the points that determine India's rank will be awarded depending on the performance of these clubs in the upcoming season. The remaining 10 per cent will be awarded based on India's Fifa ranking in 2020.
Afc Champions League Slot For Indians
The distribution of the slots will be as per the current status quo: ISL winners quality for the group stages of AFC Champions League while I-League winners will get the AFC Cup group stage slot. The destination of the third slot is a decision the All India Football Federation will have to zero in on.
However, if India fail to be among the top ten ranked nations in the west zone, then the ISL winners will get a place in the Champions League preliminary round, as is the case right now. Campground soaring eagle casino.
However, failure to get a direct entry into the AFC Champions League for an Indian club could see the nation lose a spot in the AFC Cup; all eliminated teams from the preliminary rounds are parachuted into the second-tier competition.
At a time, there can only be two Indian clubs in the group stages of the AFC Cup, and hence, India could be restricted to only two Asian slots if they fail to maintain their top-ten rank in AFC Club Competitions ranking of the west zone, and risk missing out on a Champions League spot.
India are currently less than a point ahead of Tajikistan in the rankings and sit three clear of Turkmenistan, who currently occupy the tenth spot in the west zone.
Apart from increasing the number of participating teams and member associations in the AFC's club competitions, the apex football body in Asia also announced that the winner of the Champions League will get a direct entry into next season's group stages. The AFC Cup champions, meanwhile, will be awarded a playoff spot to get into next season's Champions League.
The developments in the meeting in Tokyo are therefore highly significant for Indian football. It increases the stakes for Indian clubs to be in the ISL, which is the top tier of Indian football as things stand. The prize for winning the ISL too, could be bigger than ever.
Support our journalism by subscribing to Scroll+. We welcome your comments at letters@scroll.in.Related
Trending
The All India Football Federation Tuesday decided to recommend the winners of Indian Super League to play in the AFC Champions League qualifiers, virtually according ISL the status of the country's top tier competition.
The executive committee of the AIFF, which met here, will recommend the Asian Football Confederation to 'positively' consider its request to grant ISL's winning team the ACL qualifier slot.
The winning team of the I-League, the official top tier competition till date, has so far been playing in the qualifying round of the ACL — Asia's top tier club competition. I-League 2017-18 champions Minerva Punjab FC played in the ACL qualifying round this year.
Normally, the slots of continental top-tier competition across the world are given to the clubs playing in the national top division leagues.
Under the ‘Entry Manual for AFC Club Competitions for 2017-2020', the ACL slots are distributed among teams of the member countries of Asia which plays in their respective national top division league.
'In the light of MRA as well as the fact that in the last 5 years the entire national squad are mostly being signed/playing for ISL clubs, and TV viewership and in-stadia audience having grown far more substantially vis-a-vis I-League, and ISL clubs complying with the entire AFC Club Licensing criteria, including strong grassroots, and youth development programmes which had also been certified by AFC, the AIFF Executive Committee recommends to the AFC to positively consider their request,' the AIFF said in a statement.
The MRA was signed in 2010 between the AIFF and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), which runs the the ISL. FSDL is a subsidiary of AIFF's commercial partners IMG-Reliance.
The ACL slot has been the bone of contention between the AIFF and six I-League clubs — Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Minerva Punjab, Churchill Brothers, Aizwal FC and Gokulam Kerala — which had said that giving ISL winners the ACL slot will demote the I-League to second tier competition.
They have also pointed out that ISL is a 'closed league' without promotion or demotion as is the case anywhere in the world.
In a meeting with these six I-League clubs on July 3, AIFF president Praful Patel had said he will approach the AFC to ensure that the status quo remains and both the league continue to co-exist for another 2-3 years.
The six I-League clubs accepted the AIFF's proposal to maintain the status quo but rejected the idea of ISL winners being given the ACL slot.
The matter even reached the doorsteps of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the six I-League clubs requesting him to set up an enquiry commission and 'probe the AIFF's functioning'.
Reacting to the AIFF's decision to recommend ISL for the ACL slot, Minerva owner Ranjit Bajaj said that the clubs will go to court.
Afc Champions League Slot For Indian
'We will be going to court,' he said.
'This is a dark day for #IndianFootball #IleagueMurdered. So FSDL formed by RELIANCE to ‘develop' football INDIA has managed to finally murder @ILeagueOfficial by making it the second tier league (in addition to 27 clubs shut down cuz of AIFF) the way to get in ISL-15 crores a year/sporting merit be damned,' he tweeted.
Before the July 3 meeting, the six clubs had also said that they will approach the courts if the I-League is demoted to a second tier competition.
The AIFF, however, appeared to be giving some room for negotiation as it said that it would request the AFC to send a delegation to India to discuss the football crisis.
'Further, as the issues of I-League, I-League clubs and future roadmap of Indian football including a unified League are important issues which need to be resolved in a time bound manner, the AIFF requests the AFC to send a high-level delegation led by Dato Windsor John, General Secretary, AFC at the earliest to discuss this issue with all stakeholders of Indian Football including our commercial partners FSDL to arrive at a fair solution,' the AIFF said.
Afc Champions League
The AIFF said that the clubs had taken a 'contrary stand', from the one taken on July 3, in the letter written to the Prime Minister.
'In the meeting … held on July 3 … some broad proposals were discussed, and a joint statement was issued by AIFF and the I-League clubs. These amicable discussions were to be presented to the AFC Executive Committee for further consideration.
'However, on July 8, 2019, the clubs via a letter released to the media have taken a contrary stand which is not in the spirit with which the AIFF President had met the clubs. As a result, we have therefore, asked the AFC to find a possible solution,' the AIFF statement said.
It is learnt that the AIFF was not happy with the way things panned out after the July 3 meeting, especially the clubs writing to the prime minister. Officially though, the federation's stand was that 'anybody can write to the PM as India is a vibrant democracy'.
