Cloud of doubt over ISL's B'lore team

Just a month before kick-off, the much maligned Indian Super League seems to have suffered a blow, with serious doubts being cast over the participation of the Bangalore franchise.

While both foreign and Indian players have been snapped up at a recent auction by the teams involved, sources said the franchise, Bengaluru Titans, have pulled out due to differences with the organisers.

The Kalanithi Maran owned Sun Group, who bought the Bangalore ISL team, have reportedly signed a termination letter with the organisers, according to the sources.
 While it is not yet clear as to why they might have pulled out of the league, it may be recalled that IMG-R, the organisers of the tournament, had reacted strongly to their association with JSW Sports, the owners of the Bengaluru FC.

After the Sun Group bought JSW Sports on board for a technical tie-up, a senior ISL official had said that the association wouldn’t hold.

Meanwhile, Bengaluru FC sources have been left in the dark about recent developments.  “It is true that we had an agreement for a technical tie-up with (Bangalore’s) ISL team. But I don’t even know whether we actually signed anything on paper,” said the BFC source.

“As they told us ‘we know nothing about football,’ two of our senior officials attended the player draft and helped in bidding for players.”

Both Sun Group as well as IMG-R were unavailable for comment.  The All India Football Federation had given a window of September-December for the tournament that was originally supposed to start in 2013.