The viability of the Super Cup was discussed at length when the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) League Committee met in Delhi on Wednesday.
After a lacklustre first edition where many key players were missing from participating ISL teams, the credibility of the competition was questioned from its very onset. At the meeting, the members of the League Committee acknowledged that the concept of the Super Cup needs some serious revision.
"We discussed about the Super Cup and we have spoken at length about it. Some of the ISL teams were not serious about it. But some I-League teams took it as a challenge. We have not reached a decision but we agreed that there must be a review of the viability of the Super Cup. Is the time and money spent on the tournament worth it? The champions of Super Cup have no value as they do not get any continental spot. So it needs to be reviewed," said a top-ranking official on condition of anonymity.
More than half of the participating ISL teams had registered less than the full quota of six foreigners.
Former Jamshedpur FC and newly-appointed ATK head coach Steve Coppell had termed it a ‘nonsense’ trophy while Chennaiyin FC’s John Gregory revealed that his side had another name for it! Moreover, the clubs had no motivation to fight for the silverware as there was no significant incentive for the winners.
"Even the Federation Cup winners were entitled to a spot in the AFC Cup which made sense. A tournament does not make sense just because I-League and ISL clubs wanted to participate on the same platform. That doesn't make sense. It did not happen during the course of the season. It happened at the end of the season. There is a risk of players getting injured. The foreigners are itching to go home. The Super Cup must be reviewed," he added.
Although a formal conclusion is yet to be reached, the future of Super Cup seems to hang by a thread.