Goa State Sports Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar has said that the Indian Super League (ISL) will be conducted while considering all the Standard Operating Procures and guidelines prescribed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

The sports minister spoke about following the necessary rules as set by the government, as the ISL is scheduled amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic crisis across the nation.

Ajgaonkar was optimistic about Goa hosting the tournament, commenting that all the permissions have been provided to the league organizers by the Goa government. He also mentioned that the government will aim to boost tourism in the state as well when they host the ISL 2020-21 season.

The minister, who is also in charge of the tourism department in Goa, said that football is the state game of Goa and that the state wish to push for the growth of tourism through the game. Ajgaonkar highlighted that around 500 rooms in several hotels will be booked during the course of the tournament, which provides good business to tourism stakeholders in the state.

Ajgaonkar also said that the matches will be held without any spectators in the stadiums. He did, however, opine on the possibility of allowing the spectators in case the organizers and government can find a feasible solution for it.

ISL 2020-21 season will be held from Nov 2020 to March 2021

The seventh edition of the ISL will begin in the month of November and continue till March next year as the state of Goa gets set to host the league.

The three venues that have been finalized for hosting all the league and playoff matches are Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Fatorda), GMC Athletic Stadium (Bambolim) and Tilak Maidan Stadium (Vasco).

The ISL will be the first big sporting event to take place in India amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, after the IPL was shifted to the UAE this year.

Published 16 Sep 2020, 16:32 IST