It’s a tournament that gives I-League clubs a chance to prove that they are second to none while for Indian Super League teams it’s an opportunity to show they are the indeed the heavyweights of Indian football as the Super Cup returns to action on Saturday after a three-year gap.
The first day’s action will see Bengaluru FC taking on Sreenidi Deccan while in the second fixture, home favourites Kerala Blasters will clash against I-League champions Roundglass Punjab.
The third edition of the tournament will feature 16 teams -- 11 from ISL and five from I-League -- and will be played at two venues, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode and Payyanad Stadium in Manjeri. The 16 teams are divided into four groups. The group toppers will enter the semifinals with the final to be played at Kozhikode on April 25.
The last edition of the tournament was mired in controversy after seven major I-league clubs pulled out of the tournament citing AIFF’s unfair treatment. A lot of has changed in Indian football since then. A new regime is now in charge at AIFF while two of those clubs — Kolkata giants East Bengal and Mohun Bagan--- who withdrew from the tournament in the last edition, are now plying their trade in ISL, and have got direct entries to this year’s Super Cup. Of the remaining clubs, who decided to abandon last edition of the tournament, all teams barring NEROCA have qualified for the main round and the likes of Roundglass Punjab, Gokulam Kerala FC, Churchill Brothers, Aizawl FC have the firepower to upset ISL clubs in the coming days.
This time, the tournament appears to be wide open especially after Mumbai City announced an all-Indian squad for the Super Cup. Before that, the Des Buckingham-coached side seemed to have a clear edge over their rivals because of their lethal attacking unit. But after clinching the AFC spot in the playoffs earlier this week, Mumbai decided to give their Indian talents a go in the tournament.
The two Kerala outfits, Blasters and Gokulam, will bank on the home advantage but will also face the pressure of delivering the goods in their den.
A much-anticipated clash in the tournament will be the one between Blasters and Bengaluru on April 16. Blasters’ head coach Ivan Vukomanovic’s decision to lead his players off the pitch after a controversial refereeing decision in the ISL playoff against Bengaluru, saw the Serbian being handed a 10-match suspension and Rs five lakh fine. The club wasl also slapped with a Rs 4 crore fine by the AIFF.
Blasters will keen for a revenge against their arch-rivals though they will be missing the services of talisman midfielder Adrian Luna and defender Jessel Carneiro. “We have many dependable senior players like Marko Leskovic, Victor Mongil, and Sahal Samad who have been with the club for a long period. This (players’ absence) is unimportant; what matters is getting ready for the game," said assistant coach Ishfaq Ahmed, making light of the absence of key players in his team’s line-up.
Interestingly, both the earlier Super Cup editions have been won by teams who finished runners-up in the ISL, FC Goa in 2019 and Bengaluru FC in 2018.
