Atletico de Kolkata celebrate winning the 2016 ISL. Shaun Roy / ISL / SPORTZPICS

The I-League and the Indian Super League (ISL) are likely to be held simultaneously, over a five-month period, on a trial basis for the 2017-18 season. This seems to be the key takeaway from Wednesday's meeting in Kuala Lumpur of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and other stakeholders in Indian football.

Long-term plan only after the U-17 WC

AIFF is likely to meet its commercial and marketing partners IMG-Reliance, and representatives of ISL and I-League clubs next week to finalise a short-term strategy for Indian domestic football. The long-term plan would be framed only after the FIFA U-17 World Cup in India this October -- something the AFC, which, along with FIFA, was also present at the Kuala Lumpur meeting - had already stated on Wednesday.

AIFF unlikely to tinker with current structure

The AIFF executive committee met in Mumbai on Thursday, where the members were told about the developments of the Kuala Lumpur meeting. An AIFF release stated that the final decision will be reached after a discussion with stakeholders, also bearing in mind the forthcoming season, which includes the first ever FIFA World Cup hosted by India, and nine international matches, including India's AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. The release suggests an inclination to not tinker with the existing structure of domestic football.

Unified league will benefit young players: Bhaichung

Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia, who attended the meeting in Kuala Lumpur as an invitee of the AIFF, endorsed the need for a common league, of longer duration and with more teams. This, he told ESPN, was one of the points agreed upon by all at Wednesday's meeting. "I said the current format of Indian football - three months of the ISL followed by three months of the I-League - is not helping Indian footballers, especially those who are graduating from youth teams and academies and finding themselves without a club," Bhaichung said. "Players who get to play only one of the leagues will not have any competitive football for the rest of the year."

"This is a worry for Under-16 players of recent seasons, and even the Under-17 players who will play the [FIFA Under-17] World Cup, as they will be without a club by the time they are 19 or 20. Both FIFA and AFC also accept that this is not good for Indian football."

Former captain Bhaichung Bhutia feels the current domestic structure might leave Under-17 strikers like Komal Thatal (in blue) at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to finding a club. AIFF Media

Bhaichung said that which league was to be given top billing was not as important as the opportunities it would open up, both for the players as well as the clubs. "The current system is most unfair for a talented young striker. If ISL and I-League teams are all playing foreigners in those positions, then where does that leave a striker from India's Under-17 or Under-19 national teams?" he said. "Around the world, player transfers are the biggest money-earners, especially for smaller clubs in South America, Africa and smaller European countries. When you are struggling to raise enough money through sponsors, you need to start looking at transfer fees as a revenue generator."

He also made the case for a Super Cup, a knockout tournament featuring the top teams of the ISL and the I-League that could replace the Federation Cup and also give the winning team a slot in AFC competitions. "ISL teams, if they want to play in AFC competitions, will be very happy if one spot is opened up with the Super Cup," he said. "It will also be a perfect opportunity for the I-League teams to pit themselves against the ISL and prove their worth. I think the Super Cup could become the most prestigious event in the Indian calendar. We have been hearing about this one league over the years, but why must Indian football suffer until the structure is finalised?"

Legacy clubs need to modernise

Santi Ranjan Dasgupta, assistant general secretary of East Bengal, who along with Mohun Bagan have been talked about as potential entrants to an expanded version of the ISL, told ESPN, "The common thing agreed by all parties was that while legacy clubs and their contribution to Indian football is important, it is also necessary for the legacy clubs to modernise themselves."

BFC need early decision

What has also possibly prompted the decision to stick with two leagues for now was the fact that Bengaluru FC, part of the I-League, will be representing India at the AFC Cup knockout stages against April 25 Sports Club of North Korea in August.

Bengaluru's chief technical officer Mandar Tamhane said they had called for an early decision. "We need to build our team for the AFC Cup and that needs to happen irrespective of the long-term solution. AFC, FIFA and a UEFA representative talked us through different scenarios and cited examples from situations in other countries. Two leagues is not something they want to encourage."