Inter Kashi pip Churchill Brothers in topsy-turvy I-League title race after second CAS victory
PANAJI: Three months after the All India Football Federation (AIFF) declared Churchill Brothers FC as the I-League winners and hastily handed over the trophy during a ceremony in Goa, the federation announced Inter Kashi FC as the new champions on Friday.
The announcement follows orders from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), after the Switzerland-based tribunal set aside the AIFF appeals committee decision, which had adjudged that the re-registration of Mario Barco by the Varanasi-based club made him an ineligible player. Points were forfeited following a protest by three clubs – Churchill Brothers, Namdhari and Real Kashmir -- leaving them lower in the table.
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The CAS panel, an independent international body that settles disputes related to sport through arbitration, however set aside the appeals committee decision issued on May 31 and ordered AIFF to 'adjust the points table of the I-League and declare Inter Kashi as champions.'
The final points table leaves Kashi at the top with 42 points, two more than second-placed Churchill.
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Real Kashmir finished third with 37 points.
'We won on the pitch, fair and square, but many could not accept that,' said club president Prithijit Das. 'Our club is barely two years old, which played the I-League with heart and grit. Maybe because we weren't part of the old order, false cases were filed, our integrity questioned, our name dragged. We didn't give up. We went all the way to CAS, fought steadily, and won.'
Significantly, this was the second win for Kashi at CAS in as many months after the Swiss body had previously overturned the appeals committee decision of taking away three points that were awarded by the disciplinary committee as Namdhari fielded an ineligible player (Cledson da Silva)
'This win is not just ours.
It's a reminder of what sport should stand for; passion, fairness, and honesty, not politics,' said Das.
AIFF was quick to readjust the league points table and officially declare Kashi as the new champions.
'CAS has ruled that the AIFF shall declare Inter Kashi as winners of the I-League 2024-25. The AIFF congratulates Inter Kashi on being adjudged champions,' AIFF said in a statement.
With the CAS order and AIFF's statement, the I-League title race has now finally concluded, more than three months after the teams had played the last round of matches.
On the final day, Churchill had their chances to settle the race on the ground itself but only ended up drawing 1-1 against Real Kashmir in Srinagar.
Kashi, who were almost out of the race, turned the standings on its head after scoring twice in four stoppage-time minutes for a 3-1 win against Rajasthan United. The players celebrated at their home ground, believing they had come from behind not just for a win but also a memorable triumph.
'It was a very difficult time for everyone at the club but in the end, victory is ours. We have won not just the I-League title, but our name and respect as well,' said Das.
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