Hosting new season entirely in Kolkata in I-League's plans

KOLKATA: The entire season of the I-League is likely to be held in Kolkata keeping in mind the COVID-19 pandemic situation in the country, sources have said.

"This is one of the plans that we are working on. Nothing's confirmed yet," a top source close to the development told IANS on Sunday. The country's top-tier competition, the Indian Super League (ISL), is also likely to be held in one city with Goa emerging as the favourite to host the tournament behind closed-doors.

While it is too early to say whether the I-League, which is expected to start in the last week of November, will be held behind closed-doors or not as per sources, there are indications that it could go that way, considering the health situation in the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it has also been learnt that the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata will not be used since it is locked for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. The ISL will be held with players staying inside the bio-secure bubble to eradicate the threat of COVID-19 and the I-League is also slated to follow that. The 2019-20 I-League second division could not be completed due to the pandemic in March so the line-up for the 2020-21 I-League season is yet to be decided. IANS

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