ISL begins on Sept 21 as FSDL rejects AIFF’s plea
ISL 2023-24 season is set to commence from September 21, the opening match features Kerala Blasters taking on Bengaluru FC in Kochi
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CHENNAI: The announcement of the Indian Super League schedule took place on Thursday, amid uncertainties regarding the release of certain Indian players by its respective clubs for the upcoming Asian Games later this month.
The ISL 2023-24 season is set to commence from September 21, the opening match features Kerala Blasters taking on Bengaluru FC in Kochi. The league clashes with the Hangzhou Asian Games where the football competition begins on September 19 and continues till October 7.
Concerns arise as the 22-member Indian men’s squad for the Asian Games includes players from 10 ISL clubs, and clubs have hesitated to release all the players listed for the National Squad for the Asian Games.
Out of the 22 players selected for the Asiad, Bengaluru FC contributes six players; Mumbai City FC has three, while FC Goa, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Odisha FC, and Kerala Blasters have two each. Newly-promoted Punjab FC, Chennaiyin FC, and Hyderabad FC have one player each.
Shaji Prabhakaran, the Secretary General of the All India Football Federation, had urged ISL clubs on Monday to release the players for the Asian Games, emphasizing on the “National interest.”
“We very much understand that the Asian Games is outside the FIFA window, and you are not obliged to release the players,” AIFF Secretary General Shaji Prabhakaran acknowledged.
However, on Thursday, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) rejected Prabhakaran’s plea, asserting that the schedule was designed with consideration for the AFC Asian Cup and FIFA windows, leaving no room for postponement.
“All stakeholders have formally agreed to the schedule dates and structure, which incorporates necessary breaks to accommodate FIFA windows and breaks for the AFC Asian Cup. Given the packed football calendar, the season schedule has been designed to consider all these factors leaving no scope for postponement of the tournament at this stage,” FSDL stated firmly.
League organizers, FSDL, revealed the fixtures for the first half of the ISL season until December 29. The ISL is in its tenth season and will feature 12 teams this year. This year the matches will kick off at 08:00 PM. On days when there are double headers, the first match will be played at 05:30 PM.
New home for Indian Football
Viacom18 has bagged the exclusive media rights for the ISL, India’s top-tier football league, across Digital and TV platforms. The telecast will be available for football fans in multiple languages keeping in mind the diverse audience of the league, and will also be streamed free on JioCinema.
Photo posted by ISL on social media to announce Viacom as its new media partner for the next two seasons
“As we enter our 10th year of growing football in India, it is great to associate with a partner who shares the same vision and believes in growing the consumption of football in the country.
Viacom18’s proven record and impact in offering a fan-first football experience to the Indian audience, starting with the FIFA Football World Cup, makes them the best partner as we enter the next decade of growing Indian football,” FSDL said.
