India to have one National League, not two.

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If reports after to be believed then the I-League could be merged with the ISL this year itself. I-League CEO Sunanda Dhar said in an interview with a Kolkata-based regional newspaper that the Kolkata giants i.e. Mohun Bagan and East Bengal will have to reach a decision before the month of June since the ISL transfer window will open from June.

This news comes in contrary to what AIFF president Mr Praful Patel had said a few months back. He said that it was highly unlikely that the plan could be implemented by 2017.

Moreover, the merger news has been floating in murky waters for quite some time now as most of the people have no clue as to what exactly the norms of the new league will be. It is given for a fact that Bengaluru FC will be a part of the new league as they are the reigning I-League champions and there is no ISL team from Bengaluru. And the ISL bandwagon will be happy to welcome Bengaluru FC especially with the huge amount of fan base that they have been able to gather within such a short span of time.

But it is the faith of the Kolkata and Goa teams that have been in doubt. Kolkata has a huge football fan base and most of it is divided among the two Kolkata giants, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. The problem lies in the fact that Kolkata already has a team representing them in the ISL. The same problem lies with Goa. Goa FC represents the state in the ISL but the state has a lot of football clubs which are quite popular in the I-League.

The supporters from these regions will remain in doubt until something official and concrete is declared. Till then all they can do is to support their respective clubs and hope that everything works out at the management level.