Indian Football Association

KOLKATA: The 2020 Durga Puja has been of a subdued manner with the streets no more playing hosts to throngs of crowds in the City of Joy. However, while the people of West Bengal celebrate the festivities from the safe confines of their homes, the football governing body of the state has taken it upon itself to reach out to the masses. Outside two of the more popular Durga Puja shamianas – in Ahiritola and Chetla – one could see (from afar), giant arched

NEW DELHI: Joydeep Mukherjee, Secretary, Indian Football Association, who has been leading the LOC (Local Organising Committee) in the ongoing Hero I-League Qualifiers 2020 – the first live sporting event in India post the COVID pandemic lockdown – feels “it’s not over till it’s over.” In a freewheeling interview, Mukherjee speaks at length about what prompted him to accept the challenge of hosting the tournament, the unique challenges under the ‘new normal,’ the sanitising procedure, the learnings, and much more. EXCERPTS:  You have been closely