NEROCA FC of Imphal which missed the top spot in the 2017-18 I-League dominated All India Football Federation (AIFF) Awards on Thursday. NEROCA FC bagged four out of nine awards.
NEROCA FC CEO-cum-owner Thangjam Naoba Singh told The Times of India that AIFF should decide fast on the ISL-I-League merger.
“Merger or no merger, there should be a proper roadmap for Indian football. We don’t know how long the next season will be, so we don’t know what kind of a contract we should offer a player. This is killing us. If federation decides one or two months before a league or tournament starts that how long it will run, then how can we prepare or build a good team for the season with a small budget? ISL No. 1, I-League No. 2 or vice-versa, whatever they decide, they should decide fast. Don’t keep everything on hold,” he said.
Ahead of the Super Cup, Thangjam Naoba Singh said finishing the season on a high will encourage the players and team management to start next season on a positive note.
“We are eager to make it big in Super Cup. However, the way AIFF planned it in the end is really disappointing. Initially the plan was for a league-cum-knock-out tournament and a home-away format to the delight of home fans. We are not afraid that we might lose the first match and come back home but we lose out on the opportunity of playing few more matches against the top teams as it’s fully knockout now,” he said.