Roadblock for East Bengal - ISL clubs don’t want new teams this season

Indian Super League clubs are not keen on having East Bengal into the fold this season. According to Talking Football Today, the ISL clubs are against the idea of increasing the number of teams in the 2020-21 edition of the league.

The CEOs of various ISL clubs have expressed their desire to Football Sports Development Limited, the league's governing authority, to continue it with the same number of teams. With financial crisis engulfing every institution in the wake of the ongoing Coronavirus crisis, clubs are looking at ways and taking measures to cut expenses.

In this situation, they are not willing to bear the burden of the extra expenditure that would come along with the increase in number of matches, if East Bengal is accommodated. The new season of the league is expected to begin around November or December, given the rumours that Board of Control for Cricket in India wants to stage the Indian Premier League in September-October.

East Bengal have openly expressed their desire to participate in the cash-rich league after their cross-city rivals Mohun Bagan confirmed their participation. "It's our dream to play in the ISL. If Mohun Bagan can play, we can also do that. We are trying our best for that and are in talks with potential investors. But we have not yet reached a stage for announcement," East Bengal senior official Debabrata Sarkar had told PTI.

FSDL are still keen on including East Bengal, given that the Kolkata giants fulfil the required criteria. However time is running out for the club that is into its centenary year.