WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2024
Team Herald
MAPUSA: Last season’s 2019-2020 Goa Professional League had to be abandoned in the closing stages due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where Sporting Clube de Goa and Churchill Brothers were declared the joint winners as other teams wouldn’t have surpassed them mathematically even if they had played the remaining matches.
There were plenty of doubts regarding the 2020-21 GPL season as the conditions never improved despite the state trying to return to normalcy. However, despite the sporting activities being at a standstill, the Goa Football Association were busy looking out for a sponsor to revamp the league and were finally successful late in December.
The state’s top tier league was launched with a title sponsor after a gap of seven years and this year it will be named as Selvel Goa Professional League.
Kolkata-based media firm has signed a five-year deal with the state association for the sponsorship
The GFA Goa Professional League was launched with the arrival of a new sponsor. The league was to kick off on January 15 but as Corps of Signals withdrew at the eleventh hour the first two round matches were reschedule to later date as all the matches were to be played at the Duler Stadium in Mapusa. The GFA were in no mood to alter the competition matches and were quick in reacting to promote a first division club.
Youth Club of Manora accepted the offer to play in the GPL after SCC Cavelossim declined to participate in the competition.
This time, however, the competition has been cut short to single-leg fixtures across three months, as opposed to the two-legged system that was in place till the last season.
Every team will face all the other teams once each and the side that finishes at the top spot on the points table at the end of the league will be declared champions. Though there was no relegation last season, this year wouldn’t be spared. The league organising committee has decided that one team shall be relegated at the end of the season.
The matches are scheduled to kick off at 3:45 p.m.
Speaking to the chairman of the Competition Domnic Pereira said “due to the eleventh hour withdrawal of Corps of Signal team the tournament had to be further postponed to another two weeks as the new entrant team Youth Club of Manora required time for preparation. The stadium will be given a facelift with the stadium interiors being painted and the title sponsors also promised to live stream the GPL matches.”
