I-League Qualifiers: 1Sports Announced as Broadcaster for Hero I-League Qualifiers 2020
The Hero I-League Qualifiers 2020, which will decide which team takes the final spot for the upcoming I-League season, will be broadcast by Lex Sportel Vision Pvt. Ltd. on 1Sports, the AIFF announced on Wednesday. The qualifiers are set to commence from Thursday, October 8.
Mohammedan SC, Bhawanipore FC, FC Bengaluru United, ARA FC, and Garhwal FC will be the five teams battling it out for a single spot in the I-League which is expected to begin in December.
The authorities at the two venues - the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, and the Kalyani Municipal Stadium in Kalyani - have laid down strict medical parameters around the conduct of the matches. Moreover, all the teams are also being put up at a hotel that is close to the VYBK, to make sure that they are in a bio-secure Covid-19 bubble at all points of time.
1Sports to telecast I-League qualifiers
Speaking ahead of the start of the qualifiers, CEO of I-League Sunando Dhar said: “I thank our sponsors Hero MotoCorp for their unprecedented support in promoting Indian Football. The journey traversed together will help a long way in taking Indian Football Forward Together.”
“We thank Lex Sportel Vision Pvt. Ltd. for telecasting the qualifiers on 1Sport – the first organised sporting event in the country since the COVID lockdown. The five-camera set-up for the matches will ensure a good viewing experience for the fans. The matches would also be streamed live on 1Sport’s Facebook page,” he added.
Last season, the I-League was cut short due to the lockdown imposed by the Indian government to curtail the spread of the Coronavirus back in March 2020. The last match, between Real Kashmir FC and NEROCA FC, was called off at the very last minute, despite both teams having reached the stadium.
However, with the pandemic a part of daily life now, sports associations and tournaments are increasingly looking at ways of carrying on activities in a safe and secure manner. The I-League qualifiers will be the first major official sporting tournament in the country post the lockdown.
Meanwhile, the Indian Super League is expected to start in Goa on November 21, and will run through to March 2021, with teams beginning to arrive in Goa one by one.