AIFF plans glitzy opening for I-League

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is planning to kickstart the next I-League with a bang, so as to give a much-needed boost to the four-year-old tournament.

"We are planning to start the I-League with a bang. We would be promoting the opener in a big way with help from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). We plan to have an opening ceremony on the lines of the ones AFC normally has for their own tournaments," said I-League CEO Sunando Dhar, who was here to inspect Sporting Clube de Goa club.

The next edition of the I-League is expected to start on October 15 or 16. The venue for the opener could be Kolkata or Pune.

"I am sure we would manage to generate considerable interest in the league. The opener will be different from what we have seen in the past," said Dhar.

The crowd attendance for the recently concluded I-league was poor. A major drawback was the absence of national television coverage.

"We are having talks with a couple of broadcasters, it will be in place very soon," said the CEO.