Churchill Brothers takes AIFF to Delhi’s High Court over I-League licensing dispute

Friday, 05 September 2014 Author: Manali Kulkarni

In May 2014, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) refused to grant four football teams, including Churchill Brothers, a new I-League License permitting them to play in the top-flight league for the forthcoming season (now due to commence in January 2015), as the teams failed to meet the necessary I-League criteria. The four teams were all relegated to the the second division.^¹

On June 3, the teams unsuccessfully appealed the initial decision to the Club Licensing Appeals Body^² under Section 19d of Article 5.3 in the AIFF Indian Club Licensing Regulations (the “Licensing Regulations”).^{^3,}^⁴ The ‘Core Process’ chart in the “Compliance” section of the Licensing Regulations states that the teams have no further rights of appeal.^⁵

On August 29, Churchill Brothers filed a writ petition against the AIFF to the Delhi High Court.^⁶ Additional support for their case was provided by the Goa Football Association (GFA).^⁷

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Tags: All India Football Federation (AIFF) | Delhi High Court | Football | Governance | I-League | India | Regulation

Written by

Manali Kulkarni

Manali is an attorney in the US. She was the COO at LawInSport and continues to be an executive contributor of the editorial board for LawInSport. She holds an LLM in Sports Law from Nottingham Law School (Nottingham Trent University). She has been a strategy and legal consultant for organizations such as the World Players Association, and previously interned with the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Manali previously researched on sports and society in India, specifically focusing on the influence of sport on the gender divide in India. She joined LawInSport in September 2013 as a research assistant providing updates on Indian sports law.

Get in touch with Manali on LinkedIn or Twitter.