Football
Indian Football: Super Cup to return after three years; Kerala set to be hosts
Tentatively, the Hero Super Cup is scheduled to begin on April 1st, 2023.
The Super cup trophy (Via AIFF)
The Hero Super Cup is set to make a return to Indian Football after three long years, and Kerala is set to host the competition.The All India Football Federation intends to hold the competition in a single state, and the southern hub of football emerged as the front-runner.
The matches will be played in three venues with two being the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium and the Payyanad Stadium where last edition of Santhosh Trophy was held. While the JLN stadum does not need any introduction, the Payyanad stadium in Manjeri was a revelation to Indian football fraternity. Even without the glamor and glitter of a league, the stadium was filled to the brim for most of the Santhosh Trophy games.
One of the factors influencing the choice may be the potential for a sizable fan base. The Hero Super Cup is scheduled to begin on April 1st (All dates are tentative).
The Super Cup is a knockout competition between clubs from the Hero Indian Super League and the Hero I-League. The top six clubs from the ISL and I-league get direct entry into the round of 16, where games are played on a knockout basis.
The qualifiers, which are also contested on a knockout system, feature the bottom teams from the Hero ISL and Hero I-League. With the addition of more teams in both the leagues, it will be interesting to see if the format changes.
Bengaluru FC won the inaugural edition, while FC Goa are the reigning champion. The FC Goa head coach, Carlos Pena, was an essential member of the Super Cup-winning team.
FC Goa celebrating their Super Cup triumph (Source: AIFF)
One of the main reasons behind the resurgence of the exciting Super Cup is to fulfill the entry requirements for all AFC competitions. According to the same, each Indian team should play a minimum of 27 games in a season to be eligible for an Asian tournament.
While Durand Cup was also counted as one of the official cups of the 2022-23 season, the requirement falls short when put together with the league games. Hence, playing the Super Cup will certainly pump up the numbers and fulfill the criteria.
