Football Goa proposed to host Super Cup, but federation's 'prudent' officials will announce the final date along with the schedule...
Goa proposed to host Super Cup, but federation's 'prudent' officials will announce the final date along with the schedule?
Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency, Desk: AIIF has chosen the time from October 25 to November 22 for the Super Cup. The Indian Football Federation has chosen Goa as the venue for the Super Cup. They have already written a letter to the Goa Football Association seeking its consent. It does not seem that there will be any problem in getting that consent. From what has been revealed, the Super Cup matches will be held at the Fatorda Nehru Stadium in Margao and the Bambolim Athletic Stadium.
But how is it possible for the final to be held on November 22? Where the Indian football team has an away match of the AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Bangladesh on November 18. Do the president Kalyan Choubey or the deputy general secretary M Satyanarayana, who are at the head of the Indian Football Federation, really think seriously about Indian football? If they did, the current stalemate in domestic football surrounding the ISL would not have arisen. And they would have used their own judgment while choosing the time for the Super Cup.
There is a good reason behind writing these words. As I said earlier, the Indian team has a match in Bangladesh on November 18. So either the Super Cup should be finished at least a week before that match and the tournament should start on October 25, giving Khalid Jamil and the footballers a few days to prepare. If we assume for the sake of argument, Khalid was not given any opportunity to prepare because the Super Cup was going on before the Bangladesh match. Even then, it is important for the team's footballers to be in one place for at least 2 days before going to play the Bangladesh match. This means that the Super Cup final will have to be completed before November 15, otherwise after November 18.
There is a question here too. It is quite difficult to think that the Indian team's footballers will return to their clubs after November 18 and play the Super Cup semi-final or final. Unless the Super Cup semi-final matches can be completed before November 15. And the final is not just left for November 22. It would be better if the schedule is made that way. Otherwise, if the final is to be held after November 22, we will have to wait for the end of November or the beginning of December.
Because during the Super Cup group stage matches, there will be Mohun Bagan Super Giant-Al Hussain at home on November 4 and FC Goa will have to take a temporary break of at least 2 days before and after the match in the ACL Tier Two on November 5. Then on November 25, Mohun Bagan Super Giant will play in the AHL Tier Two match. And FC Goa's match is at Al Zawra's ground on November 26.
Of course, if the 'far-sighted, very prudent' officials of the federation had already understood before the start of the Super Cup that Mohun Bagan or FC Goa would not reach the semi-finals or final stage, then it would be a different matter. They will not have to worry much about the schedule of the knockout stage of the Super Cup. Kalyan Chaubey and his party colleagues, who have pushed Indian domestic football to the face of uncertainty and possible FIFA banishment, can avoid the complications related to this schedule for another reason, if several clubs do not participate in the Super Cup due to the uncertainty on the opening day of the ISL.
Truly, Selucas, how strange this Indian Football Federation and the officials sitting in the seats of power are!