The 2014-15 edition of the I-League, the country’s elite football league, will be an 11-team affair after Kalyani Group bagged the Pune franchise rights, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced on Monday.
The AIFF bid evaluation committee accepted Pune-based Kalyani Group’s proposal to participate in the I-League. meanwhile Rendezvous Sports bid for the Hyderabad franchise was rejected for not guaranteeing the financial bank balance.
“The Kalyani group is excited about the opportunity provided by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to participate in I-League. The group’s football club from Pune will be a ‘People’s club’ that will give a much needed boost to the sport and will take it to the next level in India and also promote it at the grassroots level,” the group said in a statement.
“Sports like football is much needed for the people of Pune and will connect youth at the grass root level through various youth development programs. This initiative will also give people of Pune access to world class sports infrastructure and facilities. The Kalyani Group has always supported various sports initiatives such as tennis…The group will continue to significantly contribute to the development of these young sports talent,” the statement added.
With Pune FC already struggling to get any kind of fans to the stadium the decision to award another I-League team has brought lot of criticism from around the corner. Kalyani group will have a tough time finding decent attendance and may not be able to achieve what Bengaluru FC have done.
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