I-League 2020-21: Injured players may be replaced till mid February

The 2021-21 season of the I-League is all set to kickoff on Saturday, January 9, with new entrants Sudeva Delhi taking on promoted Mohammedan Sporting at the Salt Lake stadium.

The competition is set to be held in a bio-bubble and there have been numerous changes effected with regards to squad composition and replacement rules. 

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) League CEO Sunando Dhar explained how this year's competition will differ from the previous editions.

"I-League rules for the last few years have stated that injured foreigners can be changed but not the registered Indian players. This year indian players can also be replaced because of injury or otherwise till the middle of February. If you have an all-Indian squad, there is no limit to the number of replacements. If you have foreigners in the team, you can change up to three foreigners and up to three Indian players," he told reporters on Thursday.

It must be noted that Sudeva and Indian Arrows will be playing with all-Indian squads. 

Though the league has lost a bit of star quotient with big clubs like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal joining the Indian Super League (ISL), Dhar pointed out that this is an opportunity for other clubs to utilise. 

"The fan base that clubs that East Bengal or Mohun Bagan have - I don't think any other (Indian) club can replicate that. But the thing is that the void that is left behind after Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have gone to the ISL gives opportunity to clubs like Sudeva. That has been the USP of I-League for the last seven to eight years, to have clubs participate from new destinations which gives players from that state, city or neighbouring areas to showcase their talent," he said.

Due to the pandemic halting football across the country, the Indian FA had to organise the I-League qualifiers (to determine the second division winners) in October 2020 under a bio-bubble. Dhar feels the I-League can take the best practices from that tournament. 

The tournament format has also changed, with the home and away format scrapped.

"14th March was when the last I-League match was played (before the Coronavirus pandemic hit). So when we were planning for the qualifiers, we had a clean slate and didn't have anything to fall back on. We had a couple of workshops held by the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) as AFC also started their Champions League matches in Qatar. Obviously, the ground realities are different in every country. So we had to adapt for the Indian model. 

"The I-League is much more complicated. The number of players is more, more games, more hotels. So the coordination level and communication goes up. It's definitely a challenge but obviously having had the qualifiers does help. There are situations that we have planned for. There are 10 things that we have planned for but there could be 15 more that could happen and we have to react to that," Dhar remarked.

The AIFF League CEO informed the protocols to be followed for all the 11 participating teams, referees and match officials and also in case a positive case of Covid-19 is detected.

"There are 11 teams put up in two hotels, the referees and match officials in the third hotel. All officials and players were required to have three negative covid tests before checking into the hotels. For the first seven days, they had to be isolated in their rooms and within those seven days there were two more tests. And only with all five negative tests from the eighth day they could go out for practice. 

"Inside the hotel, we have also created a medical hub because we are trying to minimise the chances of a player going to the hospital (outside bubble environment). In case of an X-ray, stitch or oxygen is required, that facility can be provided inside the hotel. Obviously, we cannot install an MRI machine in the hotel. But other than that, more or less everything will be taken care of by doctors and a medical team available 24x7.

"Everyone will be tested on regular intervals. So we are trying to be as careful as possible and hopefully we will be able to contain the virus," he continued.

"On an average, we are doing about 200-250 tests every day. There have been very few positive cases, mostly among officials and support staff than players. For the positive cases, in each hotel there is a floor that has been booked for an isolation room. After that, once they have three negative tests, they are allowed to get back in the bubble."

With matches to be held at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, and the Kalyani Municipal Corporation Stadium in Kalyani, Dhar provided an update on the ongoing jobs at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan. "It should be ready by January end. Hopefully from February onward, we can host matches there."