Like case after case of COVID-19 builds up across different Indian Super League (ISL) teams, the reluctance of the organizers to postpone and hold the league at a later date has now started to be questioned by the players. Whether it’s Indian national team captain Sunil Chhetri on Twitter, or Brandon Fernandes, another national team regular on Instagram, the small flares of rebellion are starting to grow by the day as the league continues to function as if everything is normal. .
Only if you are in the bubble, you will know how difficult and frustrating this is. You are away from the family for half a year, locked in a room, anything outdoors is a luxury, there are no changes in the environment to help you shake off a bad result, I could go on.
—Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) January 15, 2022
Reach out when you need to share, pay attention to someone who needs to talk. We are all going through the same thing and I thought it would be nice if we could pick each other up when we need it.
—Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) January 15, 2022
The league’s reluctance to postpone the tournament could also be due to a lack of available dates to reschedule the entire event. The ISL was initially going to be held from November to March and the season would be split into two halves. This meant that the organisers, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), could take over FIFA’s dates for international matches from January 24 to February 4. At the time, the move was criticized as it would not allow the national team to have a camp before their AFC Asian Cup Qualifying.
It was a schedule agreed upon by the FSDL and the All India Football Federation (AIFF), but one that the national team coach, Igor Stimac, did not like very much.
“If we are going to be successful in this qualifier, which are games to play outside of the FIFA window, we need to sit down with other stakeholders in domestic competitions (read ISL), how much time the national team players will have to prepare. . Stimac said in October of last year. “Otherwise, we’re going to play, simple as that.”
Fortunately for Stimac, the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers were postponed from February to June, but India looked to stage a pair of friendlies against higher-ranked opposition in late March. After March, any attempt to reschedule the ISL would once again collide with any preparation the national team might make for playoffs.
There is also the matter of the AFC Champions League, Asia’s premier continental soccer tournament. ISL champions Mumbai City were drawn along with three-time UAE Super League winners Al Jazira, six-time Saudi league champions Al Shabab and Iraqi heavyweights of the Air Force Club on Monday. The group stage of Asia’s premier club competition will kick off on April 7 at a centralized venue.
These are some of the reasons that have made the postponement of the current ISL season a difficult conversation.
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The decision was made in consultation with the League’s medical team after it was assessed that Kerala Blasters FC does not have the required number of players available for the match.
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) January 16, 2022
player physical condition
Besides a schedule jam, there have been other factors that make the continuation of the league a problem.
While players have already started talking about the effects of a bio-bubble on their already strained mental health, the rescheduling of certain games could take a toll on teams physically at this point as well.
“Each match is judged based on a number of factors, including the ability of clubs to field a team; the seriousness of the Covid-19 outbreak in the clubs; and the ability of club staff to prepare for and play the match safely,” the Indian Super League said in a statement earlier this week.
The “ability of club staff to safely prepare for a match” is where things get a bit murky. Take the example of Jamshedpur FC. Owen Coyle’s team is currently third in the league and just a few points off the top spot. But they haven’t been to a training camp in the last six days and are now expected to play a professional soccer game.
Stating that some players on his team had high fevers after their match against East Bengal, Jamshedpur entered a self-imposed quarantine in his own rooms.
“None of us have trained for the last 6 days. Obviously, due to the precautionary measures taken regarding COVID-19. So that’s something we have to be careful about. We have not been allowed to enter the training ground. So my concern will always be the players and their well-being in terms of injuries, that’s a big concern for me. Because, when you train, you are in good condition to play and it is important to avoid injuries”, said Coyle in the press conference after the match.
Organizers held a meeting with the chief executives of the 11 clubs on Sunday, but no decision was made on the short suspension of the league. Instead, the league will take a call on a game-by-game basis. However, with the number of Covid cases rising sharply in recent days, there is increasing pressure on the league to provide more clarity on its rules, as recent social media posts from players demonstrate.
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