The prestigious IFA shield, conducted by Indian Football Association, will be played across four venues in the league in the classic knockout format. The title race shall kick-off prior to the 2020-21 I-league season in the absence of reigning champions SC East Bengal & their bitter rivals Mohanbagan, who recently merged with ATK. The tournament which was hit hard by the absence of the two iconic Bengal giants and the pandemic but it still shows some positiveness with a sum group of 12 clubs including 4 from the I-league registering to try and taste triumph
IFA shield is scheduled to start in first week of December in West Bengal, with current CFL champions Peerless SC, I-league clubs Mohammedan Sporting, Gokulam FC, newly joined I-league club Sudeva Delhi FC and Indian Arrows showing their presence.
Absence of both Bengal giants in IFA shield
The absence of most successful club in the IFA Shield, The Red-and-Golds Eastbengal (29 times) and the mariners are big loss of this tournament. Mohun Bagan might have created history by winning the IFA Shield in 1911, but it was the black and white clad Mohammedan S.C whose marvellous streak in 1936 and in 1942 went on to become the first Indian club to sustain a successful run.
The vast history of IFA shield
IFA shield's history is huge as it's the fourth oldest club tournament in the world, and the second oldest in India after the Durand Cup. Indians were not allowed to join the association till the 1920s. Over the years a numerous number of strong teams from different countries like Pyongyang City from North Korea, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi from Bangladesh, FC Bayern Munich II, Palmira’s B have taken part in this tournament.
What are the reasons for the IFA Shield’s decline?
The emergence of ISL and I-leauge as the premier tournaments in India is the obvious answer. Even though that’s not a bad sign for football in India, It is going to harm the domestic tournament that had ceded space to it. As a result, most of the top Indian teams even from Goa, Bengal and Kerala prefer to conserve their players from exhaustion, and hence keep them away from the IFA Shield. The handful of sponsors and low-quality Television telecasting adds to the tournaments decline. Investors, even those from Kolkata, who want to invest money in Indian football prefer to do it in the higher profile top tier leagues.
Another important thing is the infrastructure in stadiums. The only top-class stadium which is available is Salt Lake Stadium. This implies keeping emergency medical facilities and amenities for the spectators too.
IFA shield groups are released with 12 clubs in 4 groups
In Group A,
∆ There are Khidderpore , Mohammedan SX, Kalighat MS
In Group B,
∆ There are Sudeva Delhi FC, Peerless SC, Aryan Club
In Group C
∆ There are Indian Arrows, Southern Samity, George Telegraph
In Group D,
∆ There are Gokulam Kerala FC, United SC, BSS Sporting Club
Rolling of football after the pandemic
With the relaxation of the pandemic regulations and with most of the premier tournaments all around the world coming back to its usual routines, ISL has also announced that the 2020-21 season. The opening match will witness defending champions ATK Mohun Bagan going neck to neck with Kerala Blasters. I-League is expected to kick start on January 7 next year and with IFA shield also confirming it’s resumption, means not only the Bengal football is back on track but also good news for the fans as they remain at the edges of their seat to witness Indian football retaining its momentum.
~Harikrishnan Santhosh
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