The Indian Football Association (IFA) is planning to start the Calcutta Football League Premier Division Group A from late August.

This was decided during a meeting where IFA office-bearers and representatives of the 13 of the 14 participating clubs were present.

“This year we have decided to change the format. It will be a league-cum-knockout tournament. Fourteen teams will be divided into two groups and top three from each will earn a direct quarter final berth. The remaining eight will then play with each other and the top two would complete the last-eight teams. We will try to complete the tournament by the first week of October. This year clubs would be able to register three foreigners and only two would be allowed in the first eleven,” IFA secretary Joydeep Mukherjee.

Last year CFL was cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We haven’t decided on the relegation since it’s not clear whether we would be able to organise the other divisions,” Mukherjee added. ATK Mohun Bagan have their AFC Cup engagements from August and Mukherjee said if they qualify for the second round, their CFL match-dates would be flexible.

Confusion over invitation

SC East Bengal did not attend the meeting since there was confusion over to whom the invitation was sent. The mail from IFA had gone to Kalyan Majumdar, addressed as secretary SC East Bengal Foundation and marked a copy to Shivaji Sammadar who is the CEO of SC East Bengal. Incidentally, Majumdar is secretary of the club and not the football entity.

“We were intimated yesterday (Wednesday evening) that there is a meeting today (Thursday) and it was not an invitation,” a Shree Cement official said.

Debabrata Sarkar, club’s executive committee member said: “There was a miscommunication. We have sent a letter to IFA that till further notice all correspondence should be addressed to the CEO of SC East Bengal.”