ISL begins in the new world today

The big day is on every football fan as India’s biggest football “ Indian Super League” kicks off its seventh edition. This year, the tournament will be held only in Goa due to COVID-19 pandemic. The first game will be played between Kerala Blasters vs ATK Mohun Bagan at the GMC stadium in Bambolina, Goa.

Sport in spectator-less, bio-secure bubbles may have become the norm across the globe. But India has only taken gingerly steps towards hosting events. The most notable one was the I-League Qualifiers held in Kolkata last month, which has five teams and 10 matches. The ISL , on the other hand, is an 11- team, 115-match behemoth spread over five months.

A closed door tournament will be new to the players too. Clubs such as Bengaluru FC (BFC), Kerala Blaster and FC Goa will miss their passionate fan-base.

With just three-stadiums being used, the advantages of playing in the home ground stands negated.