Only four foreign players in ISL, I-League starting XI

Kolkata: The All India Football Federation (AIFF)'s technical committee on Friday recommended the implementation of the 3+1 foreigners' rule in the starting XI of teams playing in the Indian Super League (ISL) and I-League.

As per Asian Football Confederation (AFC) guidelines which are followed in their club competitions, the committee chaired by former Indian striker Shyam Thapa recommended a maximum of four overseas players, three foreigners of any nationality and one Asian player from a AFC member nation, can be on the pitch at any given point of time.

The recommendation for the changes would take place from the 2021-2022 season.

"We feel that more Indian players should get a chance. The national team coach (Igor Stimac) is also of the same opinion. The foreigners who have played in ISL and I-League have definitely helped our players get better. But we also need to see they get more game time," Thapa told IANS.

"We have recommended the same as per AFC guidelines. I personally feel that it should help our youngsters get more exposure," he added.

"The Committee discussed at length and unanimously recommended the implementation of the 3 (foreigners) +1 (Asian) recruit rule for all domestic league matches after the 2021 season onwards, as per current AFC regulations for participation in AFC club competitions," the AIFF said in a statement.

"However, if AFC changes this rule, the changes will be implemented for domestic league matches," it added.

The committee which met via a video conference, also decided to wait for approval from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports regarding the topic of allowing Players of Indian Origin to represent India.

"The committee was also briefed about the postponement of the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup in India by the FIFA-Confederations working group, and that the future dates for the tournament haven't yet been finalised," the statement further said.

"Furthermore, it was also decided that the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman would be a part of all of AIFF-SAI technical discussions for the betterment of Indian football."

Besides Thapa, all other members including deputy chairman Henry Menezes, Prasanta Banerjee, Ganapati Palguna, Pradip Kumar Datta, Ishfaq Ahmed, Sundar Raman and Abhishek Yadav attended the meeting from their respective residences. AIFF general secretary Kushal Das was also present.