ISL 7 might be played behind closed doors from November to March

The Seventh Indian Super League (ISL 7) is possibly going to be played behind closed doors and restricted to two states (Goa and Kerala) because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A meeting was held with ISL club CEOs and the organizers Football Sports Development Ltd. (FSDL) on Monday. The meeting between the two parties centered on playing the league behind closed doors in view of the COVID-19 situation in India.

Reports claimed that the competition would be held behind closed doors, and the situation will be assessed before making a final decision.

A source from the meeting stated that the ISL 7 would be held in four neutral venues, which could potentially be hosting India’s

elite club competition and run from November 2020 to March 2021.

The four possible locations that could host all the matches are North East, West Bengal, Goa and Kerala.

The ISL will follow the example dey by the England-West Indies Test series and decided that teams will stay put in a bio-secure environment.

In the meeting, the parties decided that the teams will stay inside biosecure bubbles to make sure there are optimum health and safety maintained.

As stated earlier, The period for the seventh edition of ISL will run from November through March, although no specific start date has been decided yet.

It would be remembered that the ISL final between ATK and Chennaiyin FC was held behind closed doors at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on the 14th of March this year. ATK defeated Chennaiyin 3-1 to claim their third title.

Also, from this season, the ISL has made it compulsory for all clubs to have at least one Asian international footballer in their squad from the upcoming 2020/21 season.

Written by: Daniel Ademiju Idowu