The debate is on and the Brazilian legend has had its say on the matter. Speaking to the press before the semifinals,
"In India, you already have one league and now there's ISL. In my point of view, it should merge, the I-League and ISL for the benefit of Indian football. There should be just one league. Otherwise ISL will just be another good event," Zico told reporters here.
He was also of the opinion that the merger should be the ideal solution for the development of Indian football.
"I wish it can happen and I'm here to help the Indian football's development. I'm very happy because all the Indian players are doing their well and I'm ready to help them. But now it's up to authorities to see what's best," he added.
But as discussed in our editorial, that merging both the league has its own implications as both the leagues are like chalk and cheese. Merging would be a solution but it would kill the traditional clubs who have been in existence for almost 125 years as well as the gloss and shine would take focus away from the actual game.
Zico cited Japan’s example and explained how they transformed into an Asian powerhouse within a decade.
"I don't like to make comparisons between countries but when I landed there there was no league. It was a different story. We created J-League in a way to accommodate all the teams."
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