Exclusive: Hero Super Cup to be played after conclusion of domestic season

The last edition of the tournament was marred by the boycott of several I-League clubs.

The Hero Super Cup is set to be played after the conclusion of the Indian Super League (ISL) season, Khel Now can exclusively reveal.

A source privy to the discussions said, "All the stakeholders thought this will be best decision considering the current situation betwen the I-League clubs and AIFF."

Earlier, All India Football Federation (AIFF) General Secretary Kushal Das was quoted as saying that the Cup will be held before the domestic league campaign as a ‘preparatory tournament.’

In light of his statement, a lot of buzz was created surrounding the Super Cup, especially after its controversy-ridden last edition. Following the conclusion of the domestic season, several clubs including Minerva Punjab, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan had refused to appear in the Cup, in their bid to seek answers regarding the future of the I-League. 

This resulted in most of the matches in the tournament being forfeited. Nevertheless, the competition took place in Bhubaneshwar, with FC Goa emerging as the eventual champions. However, the tournament was an absolute disaster, as amongst all the I-League clubs, only Chennai City were part of it and moreover, only a handful of spectators turned up to watch the games.

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Having witnessed the situation, questions were raised regarding the viability of the Cup. Post that, several discussions took place and what followed was Das announcing that the next edition of the competition will be held more as a pre-season tournament. 

However, it seems that the status quo is now set to prevail as the event moves back to its original post-season slot.