Calcutta: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has decided to do something different by sending some teams home after their group matches in the 30th Federation Cup.

The teams in group A and group B will finish their first-round matches on December 9 and 10 respectively. The semi-finals are on December 18. The teams who qualify from those groups will leave the city after their last group match and come back before the semi-finals.

This is not the general practice but Utpal Ganguly, the secretary of the Indian Football Association (IFA), which is hosting the current edition of the tournament, confirmed on Wednesday that the teams would be leaving Calcutta after their last group match.

“They will leave after playing their last group match and are supposed to come back before the semi-finals,” Utpal said.

Anil Kamath, director of competitions of the AIFF, put this expedient down to expenditure and the arrangement of practice facilities.

“With so many teams in the city, the IFA would have had a hard time providing practice facilities, accommodation etc.

“We also considered the expenditure and decided that the teams who qualify for the last-four stage would go home and come back,” Kamath said.

However, the AIFF official admitted that there was no request from the IFA for such an arrangement.

Interestingly, Dempo Sports Club, who will play the inaugural tie of the tournament on Thursday and are in group A with SBT, United SC and Mumbai FC, did not have a clue as to their tour plan even on Wednesday.

When contacted, Dempo coach Armando Colaco said: “We’ve not been told that we’re going back to Goa after the group league matches.

“But if that happens, that would be good for us. The boys will have some time to unwind. As it is they are physically and mentally tired.”