I-League qualifiers to start on October 8

KOLKATA: The I-League qualifier, as had been reported earlier, will begin in the second week of October and conclude before the Durga Puja commences. The tournament will start on October 8 and end on October 19. The matches will be played both at the Salt Lake Stadium and Kalyani Stadium.
Not only will the I-League qualifier get the 2020-21 football season underway, it is also expected to be the first competitive sporting action in the country since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Five teams --- ARA FC, Bhawanipore FC, Garhwal FC, FC Bengaluru United, and Mohammedan Sporting Club --- will play each other once in round-robin format. The team that secures the top spot at the end of all the matches will secure their spot in the I-League.
Bhawanipore FC will face FC Bengaluru United in the opening match at the Salt Lake Stadium while Mohammedan Sporting will be in action at the Kalyani Stadium later in the day when they take on Garhwal FC.
The venues and other modalities were confirmed after AIFF Leagues CEO Sunando Dhar did a recce of the facilities recently.
The Indian Football Association, which has been granted hosting rights for the tournament, has taken all necessary permissions from the concerned authorities, informed secretary Joydeep Mukherjee. “We are prepared to take this challenge and we are getting all support from the state government,” he said.
Owing the Covid-19 pandemic, the tournament will be organised under strict health and safety protocols with the teams and match officials being confined to a bio-bubble. There will be regular testing of the players and support staff.