In a development that would surely address the demands of players and club officials alike, the I-League matches will be played only in the evening under floodlights from next season, national football coach Wim Koevermans said today.
Most of the I-League matches start at 3pm or 4pm and even at 2pm local time in the tournament that is played from September-October to April-May, prompting many players and officials to complain about exhaustion due to heat.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the launch of Nike Manchester United (Under 15) Premier Cup 2013 here, Koevermans said playing in the evening under floodlights was one of the "improvements" the All India Football Federation would make from next season.
"I-League is not one of the best leagues in the world and we have to accept that. There are drawbacks and weak points but we have to see the big picture and try to solve the issues we face so that Indian football moves ahead," Koevermans said.
"One improvement we are going to make from next season will be to play I-League matches in the evening and not at daytime," he said.
"A top-class I-League is important for the good performance of national team. So we have to pay attention to the I-League besides also encouraging grassroot development initiatives like the MUPC Under 15 tournament," he added.
Asked about the national team's programmes after the AFC Challenge Cup disappointment, Koevermans said it will have to continue playing international matches to improve its standards.
"Our hopes for playing AFC Asian Cup in 2015 is over now but we have to keep on playing international matches. We have to play international matches on FIFA dates. There are some 10 FIFA dates for international matches, then we played AFC Challenge Cup qualifying round matches earlier this year.
