The timing of the Super Cup, the tournament that brings together the best of ISL and I-League teams in a knock-out format, has come in for criticism as most of the matches recorded almost empty stands.
ATK coach Steve Coppell has said the competition is not professionally managed and lost its credibility when some I-League teams pulled out.
The last edition, held at the same venue, saw a good turnout with sides like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal drawing most of the crowd.
“I am afraid it (Super Cup) lost all credibility when the I-League teams decided to pull out.
“I realised it had to be played but the arrangements were poor and the practice facilities were unprofessional.
“I think whoever is in charge needs to give a real rethink,” Coppell said after his side lost to Chennaiyin FC in the semifinals.
‘Rethinking’
“Serious rethinking should go into where the competition should actually sit in the country’s football calendar. It could be placed at the beginning of the season or can well be a during-the-season tournament,” the ATK coach added.
Views echoed
Coppell’s views have been echoed by his counterparts like Carles Cuadrat (Bengaluru FC), Sergio Lobera (FC Goa) and Akbar Nawas (Chennai City FC), who felt most of the players lacked the motivation to perform after having given their best in the five-month long leagues.
The Super Cup suffered most because of the situation arising out of a ‘mutiny’ declared by seven I-League clubs against the AIFF.
“The Super Cup was introduced with both ISL and I-League teams agreeing to the format. The I-League clubs cannot just pull out on their sweet will. “The AIFF will have to introduce stricter regulations to discipline the errant teams in future,” said an AIFF source.
The AIFF league committee is meeting here on Saturday to discuss and decide on the issue relating to the pull out.