KOLKATA: A few Hero I-League clubs, during an online meeting with top officials of the All India Football Federation on Saturday, requested for the start of the league to be pushed back, Times of India reports.
The AIFF had earlier planned to commence this season of the I-League on 28th November. However, this looks unlikely.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the teams have not had sufficient time to schedule pre-season training and this seems to be a reason why the season is likely to be pushed back. Thus, the AIFF will now further discuss the issue internally and with the clubs before reaching a consensus on when to begin the league, TOI further reports.
West Bengal was granted the rights to host the tournament by the Indian Football Association.
The protocols and standard operating procedure (SOP) were discussed with the clubs during the course of the meeting. The SOP will have the same framework as that of the I-League qualifiers but will have some changes because the duration of the I-League is much longer.
The teams will be put up in three hotels while the match officials will be accommodated in a separate one.
Meanwhile, the aspect of visas for the foreign players was also discussed in the meeting and sources informed TOI that the AIFF officials told the clubs to send them a list of countries from where they are looking to recruit their foreigners so that the AIFF can look into the matter.
