The two Pune based I-League clubs — Pune Football Club (PFC) and Kalyani group-owned Bharat FC (KBFC) — are on the verge of pulling out of the I-League. Should it happen, it will be a massive blow to the All India Football Federation’s blue-riband tournament.Ashok Piramal Group-owned PFC came into existence in 2007 and since then, the game has made high-profile strides in Pune. Bharat FC finished last in the league last season and the management has made no effort to prepare the team for the new season. Several players including Justin Stephen, Ashutosh Mehta, Darren Caldeira, Chinta Chandrashekar Rao and Cornell Glenn were promised a place in the team, but none have been given an official contract.“We have undergone medical tests and are part of the team on verbal assurance,” one player said on condition of anonymity. “It’s has been more than a month since we were assured a contract for the upcoming season. But now the owners have straightaway told us that we will get the contract only if the team decides to participate in the next season. We are most likely to wind up operations. Some of us have even considered offers from other teams.”Coach Stuart Watkiss is yet to hear from the owners. “I don’t think it is appropriate to make any statement as I am yet to get an update from the team owners,” he said. “But there is a lot of gaps that needs to be filled before the next season starts.”The PFC and KBFC team owners were scheduled to meet AIFF president Praful Patel on Tuesday, but that meeting was called off. It is likely to take place next week. When contacted Kunal Agarwal, director Bharat FC, said, “We are looking for clarity from AIFF on the structure of the league. We’ll take a a call on the team’s future then. The league duration is just four months now and we need to know what the team should do for the remainder of the year. Even the Federation Cup is being abolished.The country needs one league and a few parallel cup competitions for Indian football to grow.” It is believed that AIFF president, Patel had suggested the two teams merge, but PFC has refused. Should PFC quit the I-League, it will continue with their academy project that runs teams in three age categories — under-19, under-17 and under-15.Chirag Tanna, head of operations PFC said, “It’s not an ideal situation. Things aren’t moving the way it’s supposed to.”According to the sources, three more teams from the I-league are contemplating a pullout from the upcoming season if the AIFF does not provide them with a concrete solution to the issues they have taken up with the national body.