The All India Football Federation (AIFF) have already received interests from various parties keen to invest in the I-League for the 2017-18 season.
After news of two teams from Kerala expressing their interest was confirmed by I-League CEO Sunando Dhar to Sportstar, Kushal Das, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary informed that there are keen to also add a team from Bangalore.
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“Yes, there has been an interest from two parties, one from Trivandrum and the other from Malappuram,” said Das.
“With Bengaluru FC joining the Indian Super League (ISL), we are looking to add one team from Bangalore as well,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mumbai FC haven’t yet made a plea to the AIFF to include them back in the I-League, as was the case with Aizawl FC.
The north-eastern club got relegated in the I-League 2015-16 season before being given a backdoor entry by the AIFF Executive Committee. Aizawl, under the guidance of Khalid Jamil, went on to memorably win the competition, much to the surprise of many.
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Having set a precedent earlier, it is likely that Essel Group-owned Mumbai FC might approach the Indian FA to let them field the team in the I-League despite them having finished at the bottom of the table.
“For now, we haven’t been approached by Mumbai FC yet,” informed Das.