All India Football Federation's (AIFF) CEO of Leagues Sunando Dhar on Tuesday hinted that the upcoming season of the I-League could start from December.
Dhar said that many I-League teams have not started their training due to the coronavirus pandemic. So, the Indian Football Association is considering starting the showpiece event in the last week of December.
"We had a meeting with I-League club owners. The (Covid-19) situation is very grim in some parts of India. Some teams have not been able to start practising. Also coming in of foreign players is a cause of concern. The general consensus was if the league could be postponed by a month and so the end date. That is being considered at the moment," Dhar said during an online chat show hosted by AIFF.
"We are checking this with IFA (Indian Football Association) and West Bengal government. It will be decided pretty soon and the tournament could start in last week of December," he added.
Also, Dhar asserted that various youth leagues are not likely to be held in the near future due to the coronavirus crisis.
"The youth leagues were a tremendous success in the last few years. But it is not possible to do that in a bio-bubble with 300 teams," said Dhar.
"Therefore, it can be only planned when we come out of the pandemic situation. Maybe, at the start of 2020-21 season, we can kick start the youth leagues again, he added.
The I-League qualifiers will start on October 8, 2020, with a game between Bhowpore and Bangalore United.
( With inputs from ANI )
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