I-League's entire season likely to be held in Kolkata

The next season of the I-League will likely be held only in Kolkata and the Super Cup could make a comeback, says AIFF general secretary Kushal Das.

Published : Jul 11, 2020 21:56 IST , Chennai

It remains to be seen how the I-League will host 12 clubs, one promoted side and a new entrant to be decided, in one place over a period of five-six months starting from November. 
It remains to be seen how the I-League will host 12 clubs, one promoted side and a new entrant to be decided, in one place over a period of five-six months starting from November. 
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It remains to be seen how the I-League will host 12 clubs, one promoted side and a new entrant to be decided, in one place over a period of five-six months starting from November. 

The next season of the I-League will likely be held only in Kolkata, according to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Kushal Das.

It was revealed last week that the top tier competition, the Indian Super League (ISL), will also be played in entirety in one state, with Goa being the favourite to host it, behind closed doors.

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Das had said that reducing travel will be among the priorities when the domestic season resumes.  

“The I-League will also most probably be completed in one city. Logically it appears the only city where we can do it is in Kolkata. However, the Salt Lake Stadium will not be used since it is locked for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup,” Das told  Sportstar on Saturday.

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The line-up for the 2020-21 I-League season is yet to be decided since the 2019-20 I-League second division came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March.

Das is hopeful of completing the remaining 28 matches in the 17-team division and declare a promoted team.

“We are planning to do a single venue tournament to find out the winner, who will join the I-League. The prevailing circumstances will dictate how and when we do it. It will have to be a maximum of 15-day tournament to complete it,” he said.

Super Cup, the knockout competition in the Indian football calendar, which was scrapped last season, features in the plans of the federation for the next season.

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“We are still discussing and we don’t know how things will pan out. It is there in our budget [to conduct tournament] but the final decision remains based on what the circumstances are. It will be impossible to hold it [as a pre-season tournament] in October-November,” said Das.

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