Big-time football is back in the land of the beautiful game.
Few regions in India can boast of as much passion for football as northern Kerala. The fans of Malappuram and Kozhikode districts have an excellent opportunity to witness the best of Indian football, at the Super Cup tournament, which kicks off here on Saturday. The action at Manjeri will begin on Sunday.
Matches in Group A and Group C will be played here while Manjeri will host Group B and Group D. Three ISL teams figure in each group except A, in which there are only two; two I-League clubs, RoundGlass Punjab and Sreenidi Deccan, complete the group.
Except the champion RoundGlass, the other I-League teams — Sreenidi, Aizawl, Gokulam Kerala and Churchill Brothers — had to come through the qualifiers. Those matches at Manjeri did not attract big crowds, but the main event could.
The matches involving Kerala Blasters especially are expected to fill stands, given the team’s massive fan-base. Blasters is scheduled to play Bengaluru FC on April 16, in their first meeting since their acrimonious clash in the ISL playoff last month.
On the opening day, Bengaluru meets Sreenidi, while Bengaluru takes on RoundGlass. The final will be played here on April 25.
The groupings: Group A: Kerala Blasters, Bengaluru FC, RoundGlass Punjab and Sreenidi Deccan. Group B: Hyderabad FC, Odisha FC, East Bengal and Aizawl FC. Group C: FC Goa, ATK Mohun Bagan, Jamshedpur FC and Gokulam Kerala. Group D: Mumbai City FC, Chennaiyin FC, NorthEast United and Churchill Brothers.
