Super Cup 2023 schedule, groups announced: Kerala Blasters, Bengaluru FC slotted in Group A

The tournament will see participation from 11 teams from the Indian Super League and ten teams from the I-League.

Published : Mar 07, 2023 16:55 IST

FC Goa celebrates after winning the 2019 Super Cup.
FC Goa celebrates after winning the 2019 Super Cup. | Photo Credit: AIFF
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FC Goa celebrates after winning the 2019 Super Cup. | Photo Credit: AIFF

Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters, the two teams in the centre of a storm after the Kochi side walked out midway through their Indian Super League playoff match recently, find themselves in the same group in the Hero Super Cup which will be held in Kozhikode and Malappuram from April 8 to 25.

The draw of lots for the Super Cup, which will see ISL and I-League clubs in action, was held on Tuesday and Bengaluru, the Blasters, Roundglass Punjab FC along with the winner of qualifier-1 find themselves in Group ‘A’, one of the four groups in the event.

“Unfortunately, that happened. And it (the draw of lots) was live and since it is a qualifying round for the AFC Cup, transparency had to be there,” P. Anilkumar, the secretary of the Kerala Football Association, told Sportstar on Tuesday evening. “We have nothing more to say.”

But the Blasters’ presence in the Super Cup itself is in doubt at this stage since the AIFF is yet to give its verdict on the team’s shocking walkout after Bengaluru scored through a freekick which had raised the storm.

“That is pending ...at the moment, they are not suspended and that is why they have been included in the list. They will decide in a day or two and in case there is any disciplinary action, they will change the fixtures accordingly,” said Anilkumar.

The AIFF disciplinary committee, which met on Monday under chairperson Vaibhav Gaggar, had rejected the protest lodged by Blasters after their walkout in Bengaluru on March 3.

In its protest, the Blasters had disputed a goal scored off a freekick by Bengaluru’s Sunil Chhetri and had sought reliefs on two counts, saying the match should be replayed and strict action should be taken against the said referee.

After going through the laws of the game as well as the reports by the officials, the committee said, “the protest is not maintainable in law, as the conjoint comprehensive and holistic reading of the league rules and the code clearly provides that no protest can be entertained against a referee’s decisions, since the said decisions are final and binding.”

NO MATCHES IN KOCHI

Coming back to the Super Cup, Kochi’s Nehru Stadium was also in the plans to host the event but has now been dropped.

“In Kochi, there is difficulty to get spectators to fill up the stadium (Nehru Stadium capacity around 60,000) especially when the home team is not playing. The ISL had good crowd since the Blasters were playing,” said the KFA secretary.

But at the Payyanad Stdium in Manjeri (Malappuram), which will host the Super Cup along with Kozhikode’s EMS Corporation Stadium, the huge crowd could be a worry.

“In Manjeri, this will be the first football event of this kind happening. That is why we are anticipating a big crowd and some difficulty to manage when you compare it with the Kochi stadium. The crowd capacity (in the Manjeri ground) is 20,000...Kochi can hold something like 60,000,” said Anilkumar.

SUPER CUP SCHEDULE
Qualifying playoff
April 3: Hero I-League 9 vs Hero I-League 10, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
Qualifiers
April 5: Q1, Hero I-League 2 vs Winners of Qualifying playoff, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 5: Q2, Hero I-League 3 vs Hero I-League 8, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 6: Q3, Hero I-League 4 vs Hero I-League 7, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 6: Q4, Hero I-League 5 vs Hero I-League 6, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
Group A
April 8: Bengaluru FC vs Winners Q1, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 8: Kerala Blasters FC vs RoundGlass Punjab FC, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 12: Winners Q1 vs Kerala Blasters FC, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 12: RoundGlass Punjab vs Bengaluru FC, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 16: RoundGlass Punjab vs Winners Q1, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 16: Bengaluru FC vs Kerala Blasters FC, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
Group B
April 9: Hyderabad FC vs Winners Q3, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
April 9: Odisha FC vs East Bengal FC, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
April 13: Winners Q3 vs Odisha FC, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
April 13: East Bengal FC vs Hyderabad FC, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
April 17: East Bengal vs Winners Q3, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
April 17: Hyderabad FC vs Odisha FC, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
Group C
April 10: ATK Mohun Bagan vs Winners Q2, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 10: FC Goa vs Jamshedpur FC, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 14: Winners Q2 vs FC Goa, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 14: Jamshedpur FC vs ATK Mohun Bagan, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 18: Jamshedpur FC vs Winners Q2, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 18: ATK Mohun Bagan vs FC Goa, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
Group D
April 11: Mumbai City FC vs Winners Q4, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
April 11: Chennaiyin FC vs NorthEast United FC, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
April 15: Winners Q4 vs Chennaiyin FC, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
April 15: NorthEast FC vs Mumbai City FC, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
April 19: NorthEast United FC vs Winners Q4, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
April 19: Mumbai City FC vs Chennaiyin FC, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
SEMI FINALS
April 21: Winners Group A vs Winners Group C, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode
April 22: Winners Group B vs Winners Group D, Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri
FINAL
April 25: Winners Semi Final 1 vs Winners Semi Final 2, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode.
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