Sporting Clube de Goa "could become the latest Indian football club to withdraw its senior team from the I-League," according to Debayan Sen of ESPN. It has "hinted at a bigger announcement later this week." The reasons reportedly "stem from a proposal set forward in May" by the All India Football Federation to form a three-tier football system in India. According to this proposal -- set to take effect in '17-18 -- the Indian Super League "will form the top tier of competition, and the I-League and its lower division will become the second and third divisions, with relegation and promotion only taking place between these two tiers of competition." This could "severely limit both exposure as well as chances of competing within Asia for traditional clubs that are not part of the ISL fold." A part of AIFF's plans is to "relaunch the Federation Cup as the 'Super Cup,' where the top teams from the lower divisions will play off against the lower-ranked ISL teams." Sporting is "one among several clubs that have expressed their reservations with the feasibility of such a structure." In fact, the club has often voiced its "concern over the way the governing body's constitution has been interpreted in the past" (ESPN, 6/21).
