New Delhi, Dec 16 (IANS) The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has sought help from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to professionalise the I-League.

AIFF general-secretary Alberto Colaco said the national federation has set 2011 as the deadline for the I-League to become a fully professional league so that the champion team can take part in the Champions League, which is the elite club level tournament in the continent.

'AIFF president Praful Patel has sought help from AFC president Mohammad Bin Hammam in this regard. Hammam has assured all help to the AIFF so that we can professionalise the I-League setup by the 2011-12 season,' Colaco said here Wednesday.

AFC wanted to appoint its former director of competitions of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Carlos Nohra as an advisor to the league, but Colaco said that Nohra is engaged in some other project in Dubai.

'Nohra was an option but not the only option. But AFC is looking at other options as well,' he said.

Following the sports ministry's directive to issue identity cards to all national athletes to keep a check on age frauds, AIFF has requested the AFC to help them develop a software by which the national federation can maintain a profile of all the players.

'AFC has a software that helps them to maintain a database of all players and officials. A player once registered with the software will get a unique ID and that will help us to track his career,' he said.

Colaco also said that draft draw for the last five rounds of the I-League (ninth to 13th) have been made during the I-League committee meeting that was held Tuesday in the presence of Patel. Newly appointed I-League chief-executive Sunando Dhar was also present in the meeting.