I-League 2017: Indian Arrows' home games set for Goa return in January

The Indian Arrows are set to shift their home games back and forth between Delhi and Goa this month. (Photo: I-League)
The Indian Arrows are set to shift their home games back and forth between Delhi and Goa this month. (Photo: I-League)

What's the story?

Indian Arrows will not be playing any of their home games in Goa until January due to the high accommodation costs for the teams during the Christmas and New Year period.

In other news, I-League side Churchill Brothers will now play all their home games at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco. The former I-League champions were forced to look for an alternative to the Fatorda Stadium, which is currently home to FC Goa in the ISL, and have identified Vasco as the ideal destination for the club.

In case you didn't know...

Churchill Brothers have already postponed their games on December 26th and 30th owing to the reason mentioned above and will only resume league football on January 6th after their next game against Chennai City on December 19th.

The heart of the matter

Goa will not be home to a lot of I-League football in the month of December after Churchill's decision to postpone their two home fixtures. The Arrows only return to the Bambolim Stadium in January to take on newly promoted NEROCA FC.

The Indian Arrows started their campaign at the Bambolim Stadium, facing Chennai City and Minerva Punjab FC in their first two games, due to the unavailability of stadiums in Delhi.

However, Luis Norton De Matos' side will now play their next three home games against Gokulam Kerala, Shillong Lajong and East Bengal at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi on December 22nd, 26th and January 2nd, respectively.

What's next?

Churchill Brothers are yet to receive any update on the slots allotted for the games that have been postponed and will have to wait for a while until the air surrounding the process is cleared.

Author's take

It's such a shame that a state like Goa which boasts of huge affection for the beautiful game won't be hosting a lot of club football during the festive period. However, the situation is inevitable and the fans will have to deal with it.

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