New Delhi: India skipper Sunil Chhetri Thursday said that the national footballers were "sceptical" about the proposed IPL-style league because of the ongoing rift between the I-League clubs and AIFF's marketing and commercial partners, IMG-Reliance.
"A lot of players have spoken to me, they are very sceptical about the development. They feel scared. I can't take names but I try to calm them down. This is not a good position for the players to be. That is the reason I want the topsy-turvy situation to be resolved as soon as possible. It doesn't matter which way it turns. It should be solved," Chhetri said on the sidelines of the launch of Nike's home and away kit for the Indian team.
If the new IMG-Reliance league becomes a hit with the fans, clubs feel it will affect the already floundering I-League. The development has left the Indian club owners agitated and recently the I-League Professional Football Clubs Association (IPFCA) has decided to not release players contracted to them for the IPL-style league.
Chhetri, who joined Bengaluru-based football club -- JSW Sports last month, said he too was not sure about the IMG-R league and didn't want to wait any longer. "There was no risk in joining but nobody was sure what is going to happen. There was no definite plan and I didn't want to wait that long. I met a lot of IMG-Rellaince officials but I still was not sure. I have nothing against anybody and I am sure there will be a league and many players have signed already. I just want everybody to calm down and a good thing to happen," he said.
"I don't want one body to go right and one goes left, that is not good for Indian sports. You have to go in the same direction. Clubs also want the betterment of football, AIFF and IMG-Reliance are also there to do good for the sports. They should work together," Chhetri added.
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