NEW DELHI: The final round of the Hero Super Cup kicks off at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar at 8.30 pm later Thursday when Chennaiyin FC take on Mumbai City FC with nothing by way of context and little by way of incentives for the clubs participating.
That all the matches will be telecast live on Star Sports Network, Hotstar and Jio TV, is about the only thing worth shouting about for this year’s tournament, which has been in the eye of the storm for weeks now.
And after all the bombast from various conflicted quarters suggesting xyz I-League teams would be taking part (there was one on Thursday morning alluding to the possibility of Chennai City FC breaking ranks with the rest of its “protesting peers”), the reality is that this year’s tournament is for all practical purposes an ISL event.
The writing was on the wall in any case with three qualifier matches being declared walkovers following no-show by the I-League clubs concerned.
With the I-League clubs sticking to their stand of not taking to the pitch unless the All India Football Federation (AIFF) reschedules the three qualifiers, the 2019 edition of the cup competition that was expected to take the place of the erstwhile Federation Cup has proved an unqualified disaster.
For the record though, the Hero Super Cup has been conceived as an annual tournament played among the top 10 teams of the I-League and the ISL. The first edition, played at the same venue, was won by JSW Bengaluru FC.
While all the media focus has been around the demand of the I-League clubs seeking clarity on the future roadmap of top tier club football in the country as the reson behind the “mass bunk”, the lack of a continental spot on offer to the champions is in all likelihood the real deal breaker.
As for the ISL clubs, they participate in it to fulfill their contractual obligations. So they have little choice, it would seem.
