Football: Churchill Brothers Withdraw from Super Cup Amid I-League Title Controversy
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Why Was the I-League Title Announcement Delayed?
When the curtain closed on the 2024-25 I-League season, Churchill Brothers finished at the top of the standings with 40 points, but their title presentation was delayed as they were forced to wait for a confirmation from the Appeals Committee of the AIFF.
The reason for this revolved around a match between second-placed Inter Kashi and Namdhari SC, where the former lost the match but appealed the result to the Appeals Committee, citing that their opponents had fielded an ineligible player in the contest.
Inter Kashi ended the season one point behind Churchill Brothers, meaning that if the Appeals Committee upheld the claim and awarded them three points for the match, they would move two points above Churchill Brothers in the league standings.
With no decision made by the end of the season, the Red Machines believed that they were the rightful champions and voiced strong opposition, indicating perceived injustice, before opting to withdraw from the AIFF Kalinga Super Cup in protest. The club released the following statement:
"Today, our I-League trophy count still reads “2” instead of “3." Not because we didn’t earn it. But because someone decided we didn’t deserve to be celebrated. Because the AIFF stayed silent. And now they want us to quietly play the Super Cup? No. We are withdrawing. Because this is not football anymore. This is theatre—and the ending was scripted."
The Appeals Committee had originally set a date of April 28 to provide a final decision, but revealed the final outcome this past Saturday, April 19.
AIFF Appeals Committee Declare Churchill Brothers I-League Champions
After initial investigations, the AIFF Appeals Committee upheld Inter Kashi’s appeal and awarded them three points for the match against Namdhari, but the Punjab-based outfit appealed against the verdict, forcing the AIFF to review the situation once again.
Following further reviews, the AIFF finally turned down Inter Kashi’s appeal on April 19, meaning that the league table would remain as is, giving Churchill Brothers their third I-League title and their first in 12 years. The verdict by the AIFF read:
"As per an order received from the AIFF Appeals Committee on Saturday, April 19, 2025, on the appeal by Namdhari Football Club regarding Match No. 45 of I-League 2024-25, Churchill Brothers FC Goa, who have the highest number of points in the league, are now the champions."
Despite the AIFF’s final decision, the matter is still up in the air, with Inter Kashi confirming that they are now preparing to escalate the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) for further consideration.
Check out our Bengaluru vs. Inter Kashi prediction right here on SportyTrader!
Churchill Brothers Refuse to Participate in Super Cup
Following the AIFF’s decision to award Churchill Brothers the I-League title, there was expectation that the Goan side would retract their decision to withdraw from the Kalinga Super Cup, which got underway the day after the final verdict.
However, the Red Machines’ owner, Churchill Alemao, took to the media to confirm that his team would not participate in this season’s Super Cup, explaining that his players had already gone on holiday and are unavailable. He said:
“We had written to the AIFF earlier (about withdrawing) and still maintain that because most of our players are gone. Had we known the decision (of being crowned I-League champion) earlier, we could have kept some of them back.”
Churchill Brothers were scheduled to face the ISL Champions, Mohun Bagan, in the opening round of the Super Cup, but their withdrawal meant that the Mariners were awarded a bye to the quarter-final, where they will face the Kerala Blasters on April 26.
The Super Cup is now in full swing, and you can stay up to the minute with every match using our Indian Super Cup Livescore tool!
