Panaji: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has requested Churchill Brothers FC to return the I-League champions trophy and medals to comply with the stay order granted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), a Switzerland-based independent court tasked with resolving legal disputes in the field of sport through arbitration.
The AIFF handed over the I-League trophy to champions Churchill Brothers FC on Sunday, unaware that two hours earlier, CAS had stayed the decision of its appeals committee and asked the federation “not to declare the winner of the I-League 2024-25 or organise a medal ceremony for the I-League until the present arbitration has been concluded.”
Inter Kashi, who finished second behind Churchill by a point after the final round of matches, had appealed the AIFF’s decision to declare Churchill as the champions before the sports court. The Varanasi-based side can finish on top, if they get the three points that were taken away by the AIFF appeals committee.
On Feb 24, the disciplinary committee had upheld Kashi’s appeal and handed them a 3-0 win after Namdhari FC were adjudged to have fielded an ineligible player. A month later, that decision was stayed by the appeals panel and subsequently, on April 19, the verdict was in favour of Namdhari, paving the way for Churchill to be crowned champions.
“The AIFF has to comply with the CAS order which has stayed the decision of the appeals committee,” a senior official told TOI on Tuesday. “The federation has officially written to Churchill Brothers CEO (Valanka Alemao) to return the trophy and medals to the AIFF at the earliest.”
The AIFF has explained to Churchill that they went ahead with the trophy distribution ceremony since it was notified of the CAS order only after the conclusion of the medal ceremony, owing to Sunday being a public holiday.
In its order, Elizabeth Steiner, deputy president of the CAS’s Appeals Arbitration Division, provided AIFF, Churchill and Namdhari FC time till April 29 to file a full reply to Inter Kashi’s application for provisional measures.
According to sources, AIFF is in favour of a quick resolution to the dispute and remain eager for a conclusion before the end of the season on May 31. “An expedited procedure will ensure that there is a conclusion to the case before the next season starts. The earlier this gets resolved, the better it is for Indian football,” said the official.
Churchill have won the I-League title twice in the past (2008-09, 2012-13). The third title will be precious, given that it can take them to the top-tier Indian Super League (ISL) on sporting merit, just like the two previous I-League winners, Punjab FC and Mohammedan Sporting.
