2020–21 I-League
| Longest winless run | Indian Arrows (7 games) |
|---|---|
| Longest losing run | NEROCA (6 games) |
← 2019–20 → | |
The 2020–21 I-League (known as the Hero I-League for sponsorship reasons) was the 14th season of the I-League, one of the top tier Indian professional football leagues, since its establishment in 2007. The tournament was hosted in bio-secure bubble across four venues in Kolkata due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation in India.
2020–21 ISL season.[2]
Throughout the
Relegation Stage and were to relegated, but were reinstated by AIFF after the viewing the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
Changes from last season
Changes in rules and regulations
- AIFF has implemented the '3+1' foreigners rule from this season. Under this rule, each club will be allowed to field a maximum of four foreign players and one of those four foreign players must be from an AFC affiliated country.[4]
- Due to the 2nd Division League.[5]
Number of clubs
Calicut among many others, to join the league from 2020 onwards. The invitation mentioned that the entity which wins the bid will be granted the right to own and operate a new football club.[6] On 12 August, AIFF announced that Sudeva of Delhi would join the league from this season and Sreenidi Deccan, which is based in Hyderabad, will be playing from Visakhapatnam from the following season.[7][8][9]
Promoted clubs
Promoted from the
2019–20 2nd Division League
Relegated clubs
Relegated from the 2019–20 I-League
- None
Teams
Gokulam Kerala
Locations of the stadiums for I-league
Stadiums and locations
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all the matches will be played in a single venue. AIFF declared Kolkata as the venue on 14 August.[13] Matches will be played in Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kishore Bharati Krirangan and Mohun Bagan Ground[14] in Kolkata, and Kalyani Stadium in Kalyani.[15]
| Stadium | Capacity | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan | 85,000 | Salt Lake, Kolkata |
| Kishore Bharati Krirangan | 12,000 | Jadavpore, Kolkata |
| Mohun Bagan Ground | 20,000 | Maidan, Kolkata |
| Kalyani Municipal Stadium | 20,000 | Kalyani, Nadia |
| Team | Location |
|---|---|
Aizawl
|
Aizawl, Mizoram |
| Chennai City | Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu |
Churchill Brothers
|
Margao, Goa |
| Gokulam Kerala | Calicut, Kerala
|
| Indian Arrows | Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Mohammedan | Kolkata, West Bengal |
NEROCA
|
Imphal, Manipur |
| Real Kashmir | Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir |
| TRAU | Imphal, Manipur |
| Sudeva Delhi | New Delhi, Delhi |
RoundGlass Punjab
|
Ludhiana, Punjab |
Personnel and sponsorship
| Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit Manufacturer | Shirt Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Aizawl
|
 Yan Law
|
 Alfred Jaryan
|
Vamos[16] | NECS Limited[17] |
Chennai City
|
 Satyasagara
|
Charles Anandraj
|
Nivia Sports[18] | TVS Group |
Churchill Brothers
|
 Fernando Santiago Varela
|
 Bazie Armand
|
Nivia Sports[18] | Churchill |
Gokulam Kerala
|
Vincenzo Alberto Annese
|
 Mohamed Awal
|
SEGA[19] | Sree Gokulam Group[20] |
| Indian Arrows | Shanmugam Venkatesh
|
Lalchhanhima Sailo
|
SIX5SIX[21] | Hero MotoCorp |
| Mohammedan | Sankarlal Chakraborty
|
 Kingsley Obumneme
|
Trak Only[22] | BunkerHill Sports[23] |
NEROCA
|
Gift Raikhan
|
Bishorjit Loitongbam
|
Ambition Sportswear[24] | Grow Manipur Team[25] |
Punjab
|
 Curtis Fleming
|
Bikramjit Singh
|
T10 Sports[26] | RoundGlass Sports[27] |
Real Kashmir
|
 David Robertson
|
Mason Robertson
|
Adidas[28] | Hotel CH2[28] |
| Sudeva Delhi |  Chencho Dorji
|
Ajay Singh
|
Puma[29] | Liquid Life[30] |
TRAU
|
Nandakumar Singh
|
Phalguni Konsam
|
Romi Bag[31] | HVS Foundation |
Head coaching changes
| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Ref. | Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gokulam Kerala
|
Fernando Santiago Varela
|
End of contract | 17 August 2020 | [32] | Pre-season | Vincenzo Alberto Annese
|
19 August 2020 | [33] |
Churchill Brothers
|
Mateus Costa
|
End of interim period | 23 September 2020 | [34] | Fernando Santiago Varela
|
23 September 2020 | [34] | |
Chennai City
|
Akbar Nawas
|
Mutual consent | 26 October 2020 | [35] | Satyasagara
|
10 December 2020 | [36] | |
Aizawl
|
Stanley Rozario
|
Mutual consent | 18 January 2021 | [37] | 10th | Yan Law
|
19 January 2021 | [37] |
| Mohammedan | José Hevia
|
Mutual consent | 19 February 2021 | [38] | 7th | Sankarlal Chakraborty
|
19 February 2021 | [39] |
Transfers
Foreign players
Minimum of three and maximum of four foreign players including one player from AFC—affiliated country per team.[40] Indian Arrows cannot sign any foreign players as they are a part of AIFF's developmental program. The newly joined team, Sudeva Delhi will field an all-Indian squad for its debut I-League season.[41]
- Players name in bold indicates the players who are capped for their respective national team.
| Team | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | AFC Player | Former Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aizawl
|
Alfred Jaryan
|
- | - |  Abhishek Rijal
|
Princewill Emeka Richard Kasagga
|
Chennai City
|
 Vladimir Molerović
|
Demir Avdić
|
Elvedin Škrijelj
|
Iqbal Hussain
|
|
Churchill Brothers
|
Clayvin Zuniga
|
Bazie Armand
|
 Luka Majcen
|
 Hamza Kheir
|
|
Gokulam Kerala
|
Philip Adjah
|
Denny Antwi
|
Mohamed Awal
|
 Sharif Mukhammad
|
|
| Mohammedan | Kingsley Obumneme
|
John Chidi
|
Pedro Manzi
|
 Jamal Bhuyan
|
Mohammed Fatau Raphael Onwrebe
|
NEROCA
|
Varney Kallon
|
Nathaniel Garcia
|
Judah Garcia
|
Prakash Budhathoki
|
|
Punjab
|
Chencho Gyeltshen
|
 Baba Diawara
|
Joseba Beitia
|
Kiran Chemjong
|
 Danilo Quipapá
|
Real Kashmir
|
 Aser Pierrick Dipanda
|
Lukman Adefemi
|
Mason Robertson
|
Zohib Islam Amiri
|
|
| TRAU | Helder Lobato
|
Joseph Olaleye
|
Bruno Rodrigues
|
 Komron Tursunov
|
First phase
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Churchill Brothers | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 15 | 6 | +9 | 22 | Promote to Championship Stage (Group A) |
| 2 | Punjab
|
10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 18 | |
| 3 | Real Kashmir | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 9 | +9 | 17 | |
| 4 | Gokulam Kerala | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20 | 14 | +6 | 16 | |
| 5 | TRAU | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 13 | +4 | 16 | |
| 6 | Mohammedan | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 16 | |
| 7 | Aizawl | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 15 | Demote to Relegation Stage (Group B) |
| 8 | Sudeva Delhi | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 9 | |
| 9 | Chennai City | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 19 | −12 | 9 | |
| 10 | NEROCA | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 13 | 15 | −2 | 8 | |
| 11 | Indian Arrows | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 31 | −25 | 4 |
Source: I-League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored; 6) drawing of lots
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored; 6) drawing of lots
Fixtures and results
All matches were played at neutral venues. The "home" and "away" are designated for administrative purposes.
Positions by matchday
The table lists the positions of teams after each round mentioned in official fixtures.
