I-League 2011 on ESPN Star Sports ?

After the I-League went un-noticed last season with no takers to broadcast the india’s Premier Football League, AIFF is said to have settled the issue and is slated to kick off the tournament in a big fashion when it begins in October.

According to PTI, I-League CEO, Sunando Dhar, while inspecting the newly promoted I-League side, Sporting Clube de Goa said “We are planning to start the I-League with a bang. We would be promoting the opener in a big way with help from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). We plan to have an opening ceremony on the lines of the ones AFC normally has for their own tournaments.”

To make it a high key affair the tournament will be kicked off with a gala opening ceremony on 15^th or 16^th of October in either Kolkata or Pune. “I am sure we would manage to generate considerable interest in the league. The opener will be different from what we have seen in the past,” said Dhar.As for a television partner, a matter that has been unresolved since IMG Reliance bought out the the media rights for AIFF events from the Zee Group, talks are ongoing. “We are having talks with a couple of broadcasters, it will be in place very soon,” Dhar told PTI.

However reports have it that ESPN Star Sports are the strong contenders to bag the broadcast right for India’s Premier Football League. AIFF officials however refused to comment on it.