KOCHI: The seventh edition of the Indian Super League (ISL), which is expected to be held in Goa from November, will be a season like no other. No fans, no home games, and a lot of safety measures in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As far as Kerala Blasters are concerned, the fact that the event is set to go ahead under challenging circumstances is itself a cause of celebration.
“It’s disappointing for us to not be able to play in front of our fans in Kochi. But we have to understand the situation and adjust accordingly. We have the added responsibility to make sure that the tournament goes ahead successfully,” said Kerala assistant coach Ishfaq Ahmed.
The ISL organisers have carefully laid out a plan to conduct the tournament. Although no official guidelines have been released yet by the organisers or the Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), players and support staff, others travelling to Goa will have to provide a Covid-19 negative certificate before they head to the venue.
Upon arrival, they have to undergo a mandatory quarantine period before teams start their pre-season from October 1.
However, the number of days of quarantine has not been announced yet. With players arriving from different parts of the country and the world, full training sessions may not start until mid to late October or early November. Meanwhile, each team has been given a separate training ground in Goa.
Their movement will be restricted to the training ground, team hotel and the stadium as a bio-bubble will be created. Players and support staff will also undergo testing for coronavirus every week throughout the course of the tournament.
“The ISL is doing a wonderful job and they are taking all the necessary precautions. We can only start preparing for the new season once we reach Goa and we can start the pre-season only from the allotted time. For the whole of the tournament, it will be about moving from the team hotel to the training ground and to the match venue,” said Ishfaq.
Kerala has been relying on Zoom sessions to conduct skill and fitness sessions for their players during the lockdown.
“We are constantly in touch with the players over Zoom. The trainers give the players the fitness lessons which they carry out at their homes. There are also online sessions to discuss tactics and other aspects of the game,” said the former India international.
The first match is expected to be held towards the end of November but Ishfaq feels that this could change in case East Bengal joins the league.
“There is a lot of talk about East Bengal joining ISL. If that happens, the scheduling might change due to one extra team. But we will be more or less ready. We are planning to get our full squad ready by September end. The big question for all clubs will be about when the foreign players will arrive and what will be the quarantine protocols for them,” he said.