Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X
For Quick Alerts
ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS  
For Daily Alerts

Super Cup India 2018: Tournament to be held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha

The Super India 2018 football tournament, played among the top I-League and ISL clubs, will be held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha from March 31-April 22.

The Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, played host to the ISL match between Jamshedpur FC and Bengaluru FC (Image: ISL Media)

Bengaluru, March 7: The inaugural edition of the Super Cup, comprising top I-League and Indian Super League teams, will be held at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha from March 31-April 22, according to a report. The Super Cup, which will replace the Federation Cup, will have a qualifying round and then a final round, which will be held in a league-cum-knockout format. Both the rounds will be held in Bhubaneswar.

ISL fixtures | Results | Points table

According to the Times of India, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi was mooted as one of the venues, but Odisha state government officials lobbied with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to bring the tournament to their state capital Bhubaneswar.

The Kalinga Stadium has already hosted one match in the ISL - the league game between Jamshedpur FC and Bengaluru FC. The match was attended by AIFF officials. The officials for the country's governing body for football are believed to be happy with the stadium's infrastructure, the pitch and the crowd. About 8,178 people attended the Jamshedpur FC-Bengaluru FC game on February 25, which Bengaluru FC convincingly won 2-0.

"The pitch at the Kalinga Stadium is new so that's always a positive. The city also has great training pitches which are situated close to the stadium," a source was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

Bhubaneswar summer a cause for worry

The weather in Bhubaneswar, however, will be a cause of worry for the teams. The Federation Cup last year was held in Cuttack, about 26 km from Bhubaneswar, in peak summer in temperatures hovering around 40 degree celsius. Many players were left fatigued and injured after being forced to play in the afternoon.

The Super Cup matches, however, will be held under floodlights at 8 pm.

The top six teams from the ISL and I-League directly qualify for the Super Cup. The remaining four spots will be decided by playoffs among the eight other teams in fray. This round will be held on March 15-16.

Kalinga Stadium is hoping to be the sports capital of the country. It hosted the Asian Athletics Championship and the Hockey World League Final last year. The FIH Hockey World Cup too is slated to be held later this year at the same venue.

Story first published: Wednesday, March 7, 2018, 16:35 [IST]
Other articles published on Mar 7, 2018