One of the newest debutants for the latest season of the Indian Super League (ISL) is Punjab FC. However, they are being pushed out of their comfort zone as the I-League Champions will be forced to play their home games in a stadium which isn’t Tau Devi Lal Stadium, their most dominant ground as per the last season stats at the least.
Punjab FC to pay ISL franchise fee
The All India Football Federation’s marketing partners and the league organizers, the FDSL were the ones who had confirmed the spot for the Punjab FC in the Indian Super League, the top tier league in India, on this Wednesday.
The winners of the I-League also became the first ever team to have qualified for the Indian Super League purely based on the sporting merit.
According to the sources, Punjab FC is being rumoured to make their much-anticipated debut in the ISL at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, situated in New Delhi.
As per the rules of the league, all the member clubs who are qualified to play are expected to pay an annual franchise fee of about INR 12 crores to 16 crores.
Punjab FC ISL debut to have highest
However, as per the roadmap which had been approved at the Asian Football Confederations headquarters in Malaysia back in 2019, and agreed upon by every stakeholder, those clubs who are promoted from the I-league to the ISL do not have to pay the franchise fee.
The catch in the too-good-to-be-true deal agreed by the authorities being that the promoted teams to the Indian Super League are not entitled to a share in the central revenue.
As per the insider reports, Punjab FC has apparently preferred to pay the franchise fee because as per their logistics, paying the fee was rather better considering that would make them eligible and entitled to the central revenue, which was approximately 16 crores the previous season.
What makes it even more interesting is the fact that the participating clubs have been tempted with the offer that the revenue of the upcoming season will apparently be the highest among all the ten seasons yet.
