I-League winner Aizawl players have threatened to "fast unto death" after "finding themselves in the bizarre position of staring at relegation next season despite winning India's top division title on Sunday," according to Amlan Chakraborty of REUTERS. Based in India's northeast state of Mizoram, Aizawl "pulled off a massive surprise" when it upstaged Mohun Bagan and East Bengal to win its first I-League title in its second season in the top flight. Of late, India's national league has been "steadily losing ground to the franchise-based India Super League." The All India Football Federation plans to retain all eight ISL teams and "add a handful from the I-League in a merged, expanded league" and Aizawl, a club with a "modest" budget and a "passionate" fan following, is "unlikely to make the cut." In a statement, the club said, "Aizawl FC has submitted its formal claim to AIFF to continue in the top league even after proposed merger of the existing top league with ISL." The club added that it would approach the Indian PM and the Asian Football Confederation if the club did not get a "positive response" from the AIFF. Aizawl added, "If all these steps fail, the club ... will resort to worldwide protests, sitting demonstrations near AFC/FIFA offices, picketing of AIFF Office, mass hunger strike/fast unto death protests" (REUTERS, 5/3).