NEW DELHI (India): The I-League will kick-off from January 9 as 11 teams fight it out to be crowned champions in what promises to be a unique and special edition of the competition.
Similar to the Qualifiers, the upcoming campaign will be played across 4 stadias in Kolkata and Kalyani, under the bio-secure bubble for the teams and organizers owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the length of the competition and number of teams increasing significantly as compared to the qualifiers, AIFF Leagues CEO Sunando Dhar stressed on the importance of “teamwork and cooperation”.
“With the number of teams going up from five to 11 and the number of days from 25 to 100 (in comparison to the Hero I-League Qualifiers), the maintenance of the bio-bubble and coordination between the teams and organizers will be critical,” Dhar said.
“Cooperation from the participating sides is vital to maintain the bio-bubble and in order to ensure a successful event, all parties have to come together in a team effort and move forward together.”
The 11 teams have been divided across two 5-star hotels in Kolkata — with RoundGlass Punjab FC, Indian Arrows, Chennai City FC, TRAU FC and Churchill Brothers FC in one hotel, while Real Kashmir FC, Mohammedan SC, Gokulam Kerala FC, Aizawl FC, Sudeva Delhi FC and Neroca FC are housed in the second.
The teams began checking-in to their respective hotels and entering the bio-secure bubble from December 26 onwards, after which they immediately began their period of seven days of mandatory quarantine.
(Source: AIFF)
