ISL: A season like no other

The Indian Super League is around the corner. In a year where words like quarantine, bio-bubble and self-isolation became part of the lexicon, the premier football league of the country too has undergone a change.

Let’s look at the silver linings before the dark clouds.

This season will be the longest ISL campaign with 11 teams after the league landed their white whales - the Kolkata clubs. The merger of ATK with Mohun Bagan, titled ATK-Mohun Bagan, and the addition of SC East Bengal means the marquee match in the Indian calendar - the Kolkata derby - now lies under the umbrella of the ISL.

Alas, that clash, which brings thousands to the stadium and splits the city of Kolkata into two, will be played out in Goa in front of empty stands. And therein start the hardships.

The season will be held in Goa behind closed doors, shuttling between three grounds with the multiple clubs assigned one venue as their ‘home ground’. And of course the bio-bubble, made even harsher by the fact that it will be five months long, give or take a couple of weeks depending on when the clubs started their pre-season.

It bodes well for ISL that they have seen potential pitfalls during the I-League Qualifier, the tournament which saw football restart in the country. While that event was largely a success, the ISL have ironed out some creaks.

The league has tied up with diagnostic centres, one each in north and south Goa, where the players can be taken to for scans and MRIs without breaching the bubble. Each club is given time slots to go to these centres which will be sanitised, and the travel, in full PPE, will also be within the bubble. Upon return, there will be multiple Covid-19 tests.

The league has also appointed a compliance officer, a doctor with experience working in sports, for each club who will monitor the adherence to the protocols.

“That external presence is needed so that the clubs don't take things lightly,” said Mandar Tamhane, CEO of Bengaluru FC. “He can raise red flags if he feels there are some things that are not right. Him and the team manager will work in conjunction and the latter have to inform the plan for the day ahead of time.”

There are also warnings and fines in place for breach of protocols.

“There are points that might not be to the liking of a club or clubs, but there is a scope to discuss with the league. There might also be a captain’s forum to hear from the players' perspective,” remarked Tamhane.

This will also be a season that calls for fortitude more than ever.

“One of the most important things this season will be the psychological side of things. A lot of players will be away from family. We have to be mentally strong. We only have 2-3 hours every day to train and it will be the best time of the day. These 2-3 hours we have to focus and enjoy,” said FC Goa defender Ivan Gonzalez.

But it may be easier said than done, feels Dr Maurelle D'Sa, who runs her own consultancy in Mumbai called Grit and has been working with athletes and teams.

“Isolation fatigue and mental exhaustion will be major worries. Not having the option to kick back when not playing will be difficult to deal with more so for the players who are not playing much because they will feel a lot more restricted,” said D’Sa who got her Masters in Sports and Exercise Psychology from Loughborough University.

However, there is also more leeway in the ISL bio-bubble than there was during the I-League Qualifier. The teams are allowed to move within one area of their team hotel which will include recreation rooms and terrace and sometimes even a beach, albeit in allotted times after proper sanitisation of the area.

No excuses

But most teams are not willing to make excuses. Sunil Chhetri already revealed that he has shut down the murmurs about the bubble swiftly. Renedy Singh, one of the great players of the recent era and assistant coach at SC East Bengal, is also of the same mindset.

“This is the normal that we all have, everyone is facing it. The players have to adapt and they will,” he said.

On the field, this should be one of the more competitive seasons. The influx of players from the A-League and with almost every team going for a Spanish flavour, the quality of the talent pool has increased.

There are also more organic rivalries this season. There is no love lost between East Bengal and Bengaluru FC, while the history between the Kolkata clubs is fabled. There will be a needle in the contest between FC Goa and Mumbai City FC - with the former’s coach moving to the Mumbai club and taking a host of players with him. Chennaiyin FC and Jamshedpur FC too have a similar equation although at a smaller scale.

As the season kicks off, it will be one that will be played in silence but echoes of which will be remembered. For, this will be a season like no other.