BFC’s AFC spot is legitimate

As the All India Football Federation announced that Bengaluru FC will be taking the AFC Cup playoff spot on Thursday, there was confusion and questions galore among fans. It came as a surprise since it was earlier reported that Chennaiyin FC, who lost to ATK in the Indian Super league final, would be the team making the Asian sojourn.

It appears, AIFF, as they have many times over the past few years, had shot themselves in the foot once again with their lack of clarity and off the cuff remarks. At the start of the season there were three Asian spots up for grabs after the restructuring of the league with the blessing of the AFC, which saw the Indian Super League becoming the top division of the country.

The AFC Champions League group stage spot was allotted for the ISL league phase winners, the AFC Cup group stage berth to the I-League winners and the AFC Cup play-off spot for the ISL final winner, under special dispensation from the AFC.

The confusion was caused when ATK and Mohun Bagan, who won the ISL final and the I-League respectively, decided to merge and form a single entity. This led to the discussion who gets the second AFC Cup spot with both teams from I-League and ISL keen to enter the continental competition.

It was reported ahead of the ISL final, quoting AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das, that Chennaiyin would get the spot due to their presence in the ISL final, as the merger of ATK and Mohun Bagan, who were assured of I-League title by then, assured their participation in the Asian level. Bengaluru FC CEO Mandar Tamhane stressed that was never the case.

“A publication wrote an article with a quote from a senior official in AIFF and mentioned about the runner up team from ISL final being the team that goes. I knew that that was not right and I had to check with AFC if this was correct. This happened two and a half months ago. Based on the sporting criteria defined by AFC and how the league table functions, this was the obvious decision that was going to come,” said Tamhane.

According to AFC’s entry manual for club competitions from 2017-2019, the priority is given to the league positions. Furthermore in a communication between AIFF and the AFC regarding the playoff spots dated February 18 - a copy of which is with DH - the AIFF had clarified that in the event that the Hero ISL play-off winner and the league phase winners were the same, the AFC Cup play-off spot will go to the runner-up in the league. There was never any mention of the runner-up in the final getting any Asian slot.

ATK finished second in the ISL league phase, but opted for Mohun Bagan’s spot as the I-League champions are assured of a spot in the group stage leaving the door open for Bengaluru FC to clinch the play-off spot.

“It is only because Bagan took the route via I-league to qualify for AFC that BFC got a chance. If they had taken their ISL slot, then a team from the I-league should have gone,” Tamhane said.

Despite reaching out multiple times, there was no response from the AIFF.