Fans will be allowed in selected stands and portions of stadiums for the Hero I-League 2021-22 from the second round onwards which commences on April 22. The major decision has been taken in compliance with the health parameters specified by the Government of West Bengal in accordance with the Ministry of Health.
The I-League (also known as the Hero I-League due to sponsorship relations with Hero MotoCorp) is a men’s professional football league in India. It competes alongside the Indian Super League (ISL) as one of two co-existing top-level leagues. The league was established as India’s first professional football competition with the goal of expanding the national team’s player pool.
The league’s current season, which was halted on January 3 due to a COVID-19 breakout inside the bio-bubble, began on March 3. The games will be held at three different locations: Kalyani Municipal Stadium, Naihati Stadium, and Mohun Bagan Ground.
“It gives us immense satisfaction to welcome fans into select stands in the stadiums for the I-League 2021-22. We are grateful to the vast legion of fans for all their support during the tough times in our joint endeavour to move forward together. We are expecting an exciting fight on the cards – be it for the championship race, or the relegation zone,” said, I-League CEO, Sunando Dhar.
“However, we would be constantly reviewing the situation on a regular basis, and act according to the health parameters laid down by the relevant authorities,” Dhar concluded.
All 13 clubs will continue to function from within Kolkata, and spectators who are permitted to enter certain areas of the stadiums will not be able to go through the competition zones, to avoid the risk of spreading any new variants of the COVID-19 virus.
The teams will be separated into two groups based on the results of Phase 1: Group A and Group B. While the top seven clubs from Phase 1 will advance to Group A, the remaining teams will compete for relegation in Group B.
In a round-robin style, the teams in each group will play each other once. The advantages and disadvantages of both periods will be considered.
Gokulam Kerala are currently at the top of the table with 30 points.