By IANS
New Delhi : India’s much awaited professional football tournament, I League, starts Saturday with Dempo Sports Club facing Salgaocar in a Goan derby at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Margao.
The I League, named on the lines of Japan’s J League, is the first step towards professionalising Indian football and will be held according to the guidelines of the Asian Football Confederations (AFC) Professional League. The new league also replaces an 11-year-old semi-professional National Football League (NFL).
Dempo, who won the last edition of the NFL, will try to retain the top spot in the league despite a bad start to the new season. Dempo is currently the richest club in the history of Indian football but were knocked out in the season starting Federation Cup. The club also failed to retain the Durand Cup.
The league will start with 10 teams and every year two teams will be relegated and four teams would be promoted taking the number of teams to 16 in three years. The tournament would be played in the same home and away format. In fact the AFC has set the criteria for the All India Football Confederation (AIFF) for three years.
If the AIFF follows the criteria successfully for three years, then the clubs would be eligible to qualify for the AFC Champions League.
The following is the schedule of the first phase of the league:
Round I:
Nov 24: Dempo vs. Salgaocar, Goa
Nov 25: East Bengal vs. Viva Kerala, Kolkata;
Churchill Brothers vs. Sporting Clube de Goa, Goa
Mahindra United vs. Air India, Mumbai
Nov 26: Mohun Bagan vs. JCT, Kolkata
Round II:
Nov 28: Sporting Clube de Goa vs. Dempo, Goa
Nov 29: Mohun Bagan vs. Viva Kerala, Kolkata
Salgaocar vs. Air India, Goa
Mahindra United vs. Churchill Brothers, Mumbai
Nov 30: East Bengal vs. JCT, Kolkata
Round III:
Dec 2: Mohun Bagan vs. Sporting Clube de Goa, Kolkata
Dec 3: Air India vs. Viva Kerala, Mumbai
East Bengaal vs. Salgaocar, Kolkata
Dec 4: Churchill Brothers vs. Dempo, Goa
JCT vs. Mahindra United, Punjab
Round IV:
Dec 8: JCT vs. Churchill Brothers, Punjab
Mohun Bagan vs. Air India, Kolkata
Mahindra United vs. Viva Kerala, Mumbai
Dec 9: Dempo vs. East Bengal, Goa
Dec 10: Salgaocar vs. Sporting Clube de Goa, Goa
Round V:
Dec 12: Dempo vs. Mohun Bagan, Goa
Air India vs. JCT, Mumbai
Dec 13: Churchill Brothers vs. East Bengal, Goa
Dec 14: Sporting Clube de Goa vs. Mahindra United, Goa
Dec 15: Viva Kerala vs. Salgaocar, Kerala
Round VI:
Dec 16: Churchill Brothers vs. Mohun Bagan, Goa
JCT vs. Dempo, Punjab
Dec 17: Air India vs. East Bengal, Mumbai
Dec 19: Salgaocar vs. Mahindra United, Goa
Viva Kerala vs. Sporting Clube de Goa,
Round VII:
Dec 20: Air India vs. Dempo, Mumbai
Dec 22: Salgaocar vs. Mohun Bagan, Goa
Dec 23: Mahindra United vs. East Bengal, Kolkata
Churchill Brothers vs. Viva Kerala, Goa
JCT vs. Sporting Clube de Goa, Goa
Round VIII:
Dec 28: Dempo vs. Mahindra United, Goa
Dec 29: Sporting Clube de Goa vs. Air India, Goa
Viva Kerala vs. JCT, Kerala
Mohun Bagan vs. East Bengal, Kolkata
Dec 31: Salgaocar vs. Churchill Brothers, Goa
Round IX:
Jan 3: Salgaocar vs. JCT, Gia
Jan 4: Dempo vs. Viva Kerala, Goa
Jan 5: Sporting Clube de Goa vs. East Bengal, Goa
Mohun Bagan vs. Mahindra United, Kolkata
Jan 6: Air India vs. Churchill Brothers, Mumbai
Round X:
Jan 8: Salgaocar vs. East Bengal, Goa
Jan 9: Sporting Clube de Goa vs. Mohun Bagan, Goa
Jan 10: Dempo vs. Churchill Brothers, Goa
Mahindra United vs. JCT, Mumbai
Viva Kerala vs. Air India, Kerala
Round XI:
Jan 13: Dempo vs. Churchill Brothers, Goa
Viva Kerala vs. Mohun Bagan, Kerala
Jan 14: JCT vs. East Bengal, Punjab
Air India vs. Salgaocar, Mumbai
Churchill Brothers vs. Mahindra United, Goa
Round XII:
Jan 19: Churchill Brothers vs. Salgaocar, Goa
Mahindra United vs. Dempo, Mumbai
JCT vs. Viva Kerala, Punjab
Jan 20: East Bengal vs. Mohun Bagan, Kolkata
Air India vs. Sporting Clube de Goa, Mumbai
Round XIII:
Jan 24: Viva Kerala vs. Mahindra United, Kerala
Sporting Clube de Goa vs. Salgaocar, Goa
Jan 26: Churchill Brothers vs. JCT, Goa
Jan 27: East Bengal vs. Dempo, Kolkata
Air India vs. Mohun Bagan, Mumbai
Round XIV:
Jan 29: Sporting Clube de Goa vs. Viva Kerala, Goa
Jan 30: Mahindra United vs. Salgaocar, Mumbai
East Bengal vs. Air India, Kolkata
Jan 31: Mohun Bagan vs. Churchill Brothers, Kolkata
Dempo vs. JCT, Goa
Round XV:
Feb 3: East Bengal vs. Mahindra United, Kolkata
Sporting Clube de Goa vs. JCT, Goa
Feb 4: Dempo vs. Air India, Goa
Mohun Bagan vs. Salgaocar, Kolkata
Viva Kerala vs. Churchill Brothers, Kerala
Round XVI:
Feb 9: Salgaocar vs. Viva Kerala, Goa
Mahindra United vs. Sporting Clube de Goa, Mumbai
JCT vs. Air India, Punjab
Mohun Bagan vs. Dempo, Kolkata
Feb 10: East Bengal vs. Churchill Brothers, Kolkata
Round XVII:
Mar 22: JCT vs. Mohun Bagan, Punjab
Air India vs. Mahindra United, Mumbai
Sporting Clube de Goa vs. Churchill Brothers, Goa
Jan 23: Viva Kerala vs. East Bengal, Kerala
Salgaocar vs. Dempo, Goa
Round VIII:
Mar 30: Viva Kerala vs. Dempo, Kerala
East Bengal vs. Sporting Clube de Goa, Kolkata
JCT vs. Salgaocar, Punjab
Mahindra United vs. Mohun Bagan, Mumbai
Churchill Brothers vs. Air India, Goa