Boost for PLS as AIFF, IFA smoke peace pipe

MUMBAI: The All India Football Federation Monday softened its stance towards the West Bengal Football Association backed Premier League Soccer (PLS) just a day after threatening to take away the permission to host the inter-city tournament.

AIFF president Praful Patel clarified that the federation was all for the league but had to take steps to ensure the organisers adhere to principles of "good governance".

The franchise-based league was heading towards uncertainty as the AIFF asked FIFA to temporarily suspend the six PLS clubs from using Transfer Matching System (TMS), which allows a club to recruit foreign players thereby leaving a question mark on the participation of international players in the league.

"There was never an issue related to Bengal Premier League Soccer. We have no problem with the tournament, it is a good initiative and we want other states also to encourage the league," AIFF president Praful Patel said after an emergency committee meeting on Monday.

"The foreign players are under the FIFA and if there is a FIFA regulation they have to follow it. It is not an AIFF stipulation. AIFF just wants to ensure good governance otherwise we would be troubled internationally. We just helped the tournament to follow a right path," he added.

Earlier, the AIFF had suspended the passwords that were provided to the six PLS clubs following the organiser?s inability to provide documents relating to affiliation of the clubs. The suspension of passwords has been revoked after the IFA clarified its stance.

Under FIFA rules, no club in the world can recruit a professional foreign footballer without going through the TMS. Once certified by the national association as a genuine organisation, FIFA provides each club a separate password to enter into the TMS.

AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said the national federation had to act due to queries raised by the international body thereby allaying fears that it was jeopardising the league, which has attracted million of dollars in investment from corporates.

"FIFA had raised the issue over the registration of the clubs and federation just wrote to the IFA regarding the same. And after the necessary clarifications the suspension was revoked. We never created any hurdle in the organising of the tournament, in fact we had approved the league long-back in 2011," AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said.

AIFF vice-president Subrata Dutta explained that the IFA will abide by rules.

"We received an e-mail from Utpal Ganguly and he has assured us that the IFA will abide by all the terms of AIFF. He also said following the FIFA rules all the clubs have been registered under the respective district sports associations," Dutta said.

"Ganguly has already spoken to the franchisees and they have assured 50 per cent of the payment in advance and they will furnish a bank guarantee, which will be forwarded to IFA and the association will in turn forward it to the AIFF," Dutta added.