Defending champions Minerva Punjab will finally get to lock horns against Real Kashmir after a decision taken by the Emergency Committee of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
It is expected that the match will be held on March 12 in New Delhi, although an official confirmation is awaited.
Minerva Punjab had pulled out of the fixture which was earlier slated to be held on February 18 in Srinagar citing security concerns in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack.
"The AIFF Emergency Committee on Monday decided that there will be a re-match of Real Kashmir and Minerva Punjab but the date and venue is yet to be decided," said I-League CEO Sunando Dhar to a news agency.
Minerva argued that their pullout could not be considered a forfeiture as it was on security grounds. The club filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court complaining the same. But Justice Vibhu Bakhru directed the club to wait for a verdict of the AIFF league committee’s meeting.
The league committee further referred the matter to the executive committee. But the executive committee was unable to convene at such short notice. So it was passed on to its emergency committee that includes president Praful Patel, five vice-presidents and secretary Kusal Das as an ex-officio member.
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