KOCHI: The I-league which had been postponed due to a bio-bubble breach at one of the hotels in Kolkata is now set to resume from March 3 according to the league organisers.
As many as eight players and three officials had tested positive within various camps back in January which forced the organisers to halt the tournament while taking the safety of the players and staff into consideration.
On Tuesday, the decision was made that it was safe to resume the competition while taking all safety precautions. “We had stopped the league initially as we wanted to ensure the safety of the players and officials involved, and did not want Covid-19 to spread,” said AIFF Leagues CEO Mr. Sunando Dhar in a statement.
Dr Harsh Mahajan who is a member of AIFF's Sports Medical Committee has been monitoring the situation closely and advising the federation on the conduct of the league. It was his suggestion to postpone the league earlier this year.
“Now, after getting the clearance from the relevant authorities and a go-ahead from Dr Harsh Mahajan, we feel that with the positivity rates going down, this is the best time to restart the season,” Dhar added.
A new bubble will be created from February 20 with teams and officials having to enter it with three negative RT-PCR tests.
The federation also informed that all the players required to do a 12 lead ECG before arrival and once inside the bio-bubble, each individual needed to serve seven days in quarantine.
This will be followed by three more tests being done. On receiving three negative RT-PCR tests in quarantine, the players and officials will be free to operate from within the bubble and attend training sessions, meals, team meetings, and matches.
“I have been in touch with all the clubs, and they have all expressed their excitement, and are looking forward to the restart,” said Dhar.
So far, only six matches - one round of fixtures - have been played Punjab FC leading the charts. The format will remain unchanged with the 13 teams playing each other in round-robin format before being divided into two groups after the first phase.
The games will be held across the same three venues - Kalyani Municipal Stadium, Naihati Stadium, and the Mohun Bagan Ground - which were hosting this season's I-League matches.