The I-League 2021-22 will be held in Kolkata and the season is likely to start in mid-December, it was decided at the AIFF League Committee meeting held via video conferencing on Saturday. The 2020-21 season of the league was also held at Bio-Bubble in Kolkata and was a success. League CEO Sunando Dhar said that the league committee is in talks with the Indian Football Association (Bengal) and the Bengal government to host the league once again.
In the meeting, Dhar told the committee that the league will be played between 13 teams this season and the format will be the same as the previous edition. In the previous edition of the I-League, all teams were divided into two groups, where they all played each other once. The top seven teams from the group stage will advance to the fight for the championship while the bottom six teams will fight it out to avoid relegation. Dhar said the number of games in this edition will increase from 80 to 114.
The I-League qualifiers, on the other hand, will be held between a maximum of 10 teams, and all matches will take place in Bengaluru in September 2021.
State associations are required to nominate a maximum of two teams, of which one team will be selected by the league department on the basis of sporting merit and club licensing criteria. The criteria for selection will be intimated. States that have organized a league, or a qualifying championship to nominate teams for the qualifiers, will be eligible to nominate teams for the I-League qualifiers.
In the inaugural address at the meeting, AIFF Senior Vice President and League Committee Chairman Subrata Dutta said, “In the current situation it is pertinent for all stakeholders including players to remain fit not only physically but also mentally. . Last year we successfully organized several events, and this year we would really like to organize more, the pandemic situation permitting.”
The committee also deliberated in detail and felt that the relegation rule would be implemented in the I-League 2021-22 despite the current situation, and that there would be no change in the regulation once the league resumes.
Also, a decision on the 2020-21 edition of the Indian Women’s League (IWL), which had to be postponed due to the second wave of the pandemic, will soon be followed by detailed discussions with Odisha Sports to host the final round. HIWL.
The AFC Women’s Club Championship 2021 will see the champions of the IWL enter the championship, with an Indian club – a pilot tournament being implemented by the Asian Football Confederation. However, if the IWL cannot be held due to the pandemic situation, the champions of the previous edition will take part in the AFC Championship.
The committee also discussed hosting the Futsal Club Championship in Shillong in October 2021, adhering to all health norms.
“We are making it mandatory for all players, officials and all operational and administrative staff across all leagues and championships to fully vaccinate themselves before kick-off. However, we understand that players under the age of 18 may participate, as well as players/officers who are recovering from COVID and have not had a chance to vaccinate themselves. In that case, all of them will be subjected to more RTPCR tests than others,” Dhar said.
The committee was also apprised about the Golden Baby League and the issues of safety and child protection through a detailed presentation and incentives to increase the participation of girl players.
read all Breaking News, today’s fresh news and coronavirus news Here
.