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The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Thursday decided to allow the participating clubs in the forthcoming Kalinga Super Cup, to be played in Odisha, to register up to six foreign participating players in the matchday squad.
The participating teams will also be allowed to start their matches with a maximum of six foreign players on the pitch. In case more than five foreign participating players are selected in the Player Selection List, then at least one of these players must hold the nationality of a member association of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), a AIFF release said. This decision has been taken in view of the fact that winners of the Kalinga Super Cup will qualify for the AFC Champions League 2 2024-25. As per the AFC club competitions regulations in the 2023-24 season, each participating club may select up to six foreign players, with one of them being from a country that is a Member Association of the AFC. The Kalinga Super Cup is set to take place across two venues in Odisha and will commence on January 9, 2024. Both the Indian Super League and I-League clubs have been invited to take part, with the former getting direct entry. The I-League clubs will have to play the qualifiers to get into the group stage of the Kalinga Super Cup, where 16 teams will be divided into four groups of four clubs each. The winners of each group will qualify for the semi-finals, followed by the final to be played on January 28, 2024. The draw for the tournament will be held on December 18, 2023, at the Football House. Till date, three editions of the tournament have been held with the first one being in 2018. Bengaluru, Goa and Odisha have won a title each. In the last edition of the tournament this year, Odisha defeated Bengaluru by 2-1 in the final. (ANI)
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