I-League hit by coronavirus outbreak, seven players test positive
The 2021-22 season of I-League has been thrown into chaos after several players tested positive for COVID-19 inside the bio-bubble. The tournament had kicked off just three days ago on Sunday. And, now doubts are surrounding the continuation of the league. As many as ten people have tested positive, including three officials, according to PTI.
- Among the participating teams, Real Kashmir FC have the most positive cases in their squad.
- As many as five Kashmir players have tested positive while one player from each Sreenidi Deccan FC and Mohammedan Sporting have contracted the virus.
- An emergency meeting has been called by the I-League committee to address the issue and take a decision on the continuation of the tournament.
The 2021-22 season of I-League is being played across three cities in West Bengal — Mohun Bagan Ground in Kolkata, the Naihati Stadium at Naihati, and the Kalyani Stadium at Kalyani — in three different bio-bubbles. The outbreak happened at the Novotel Hotel bio-bubble, where players from Rajasthan United, Aizawl FC, NEROCA, RKFC, Sreenidi Deccan, and Mohammedan Sporting are staying.
Following the bio-bubble breach, I-League issued a statement on Twitter acknowledging the development. "There have been some positive cases reported among certain #HeroILeague teams. The League is keeping a close tab on it and have already spoken to the clubs. In addition, an emergency meeting of the League Committee has also been summoned in the afternoon," the statement read.
There are no games scheduled for today in I-League. Three fixtures are set to take place on Thursday — Sreenidi Deccan vs TRAU, NEROCA vs Gokulam Kerala, and Aizawl vs Mohammedan So far, six games have been played. RoundGlass Punjab Football Club, NEROCA, Kashmir, Mohammedan, and Gokulam Kerala recording one win each. TRAU and Indian Arrows played out a draw on Sunday.
