NEW DELHI: The 11th edition of the Hero I-League will kick start in Ludhiana, on November 25, with a match between former champions Mohun Bagan and Minerva Punjab FC.
There will be total of 90 matches played with the curtains coming down on February 27 next year.
Not surprisingly, the fact that most of the I-League ties have been fixed as evening or afternoon matches, unlike in the Hero Indian Super League, where all games will be played at 8pm prime time, has raised hackles in some quarters.
It needs noting though that for host broadcaster Star Sports, which is delivering the live telecast of both leagues, the decision was really a no brainer seeing as both from an eyeballs as well as fan turnout perspective, the ISL is today without doubt India’s top tier club tournament.
What did come as a suprise to SportzPower though was that the two games in the upcoming I-League season featuring India’s most storied rival clubs Mohun Bagan and East Bengal – the famed Kolkota derbies – could not be fitted into the prime time window.
While the first match-up of the season between the historic rivals on December 3 has been slotted into the “graveyard” 2 pm window, the second Kolkata Derby on 13 January 2018 is timed for 5.30 pm.
Meanwhile, in his reaction to the schedule that was released, Ranjit Bajaj, owner of Minerva Punjab FC, termed the scheduling “a logistical nightmare”.
“Ideally, we should have been informed 45 days in advance. For example, we have an away match on December 27 against Aizwal and then, another away match against Churchill Brothers on December 30,” Bajaj told The Hindu.
In contrast, Lalnghinglova Hmar, secretary of Shillong Lajong FC was empathetic to the All India Football Federation’s situation. “I am not complaining,” Hmar told the daily on the scheduling. “Most of the matches are going to be televised. So it is not easy.”
Lmar refused to be drawn into a debate on whether I-League is being undermined when compared to ISL. “They are two different products. You can’t compare both. However, he added that an announcement (of fixtures) at such a short notice will a big challenge for all clubs to hit the road running. Let’s wait and see,” he told The Hindu.
However, Rohit Ramesh, owner of Chennai City FC expressed satisfaction with the scheduling. Chennai City’s first I-League home match is scheduled on December 23 against East Bengal in Coimbatore (at the Nehru Stadium). He has enough time on his hands to go about his job. “We are quite happy with the scheduling,” he said, while noting that “marketing the match will be a challenge”.
For the 2017-2018 season’s full schedule, click here…
