IPL to be contracted to 16 teams

MNA – The IPL managerial board has decided that the Iran Professional League will be contracted to 16 teams next season.

In a meeting held at the Physical Education Organization’s office on Monday, the board agreed that two teams would be dropped from Iran’s premier football league at the end of the current season.

Thus, four teams will be dropped to the first division at the end of the season and two teams will be promoted to the IPL from the first division. Meanwhile, the top three teams will be awarded next season.

National team head coach Ali Daei also attended the meeting and praised the officials for deciding to end the season on May 17.

The Iran Football Federation had previously said that IPL games should be suspended for 40 days for the national team preparatory camp ahead of the UAE match in the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers.