I-League row: Inter Kashi wins first appeal at CAS against AIFF, champions yet to be decided

Indian Express

17-06-2025

Inter Kashi has won their first appeal at the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) against the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Tuesday.
The CAS ruling, however, will not hand Inter Kashi the I-League title yet. The whole drama has been around a case related to the I-League match between Inter Kashi and Namdhari FC on January 13. Namdhari accused Kashi of fielding an 'ineligible player' and the AIFF's appeals committee ruled in favour of Namdhari.
After the appeals committee ruling, Inter Kashi finished the I-League in second place with 39 points, while Churchill Brothers of Goa were declared champions with 40 points.
Inter Kashi filed an appeal at the Switzerland-based CAS on April 24 against the decision of the AIFF appeals committee, and the world's apex sports tribunal ruled in favour of the club on Tuesday.
The club filed another appeal, which is pending at the CAS, and if a ruling comes in, it may decide the 2024-25 I-League champions, though the AIFF handed the trophy to Churchill Brothers based on its appeals committee decision.
'The appeal filed on 24 April 2025 by Inter Kashi FC against the decision issued on 18 April 2025 by the Appeal Committee of the All-India Football Federation is upheld. The decision issued on 18 April 2025 by the Appeal Committee of the All-India Football Federation is set aside,' the CAS said in its ruling on Tuesday.
'The terms of the decision issued on 24 February 2025 by the All-India Football Federation Disciplinary Committee in the matter IL 2024-25/102 are hereby confirmed,' said the CAS award delivered by three arbitrators.
Frans de Weger of the Netherlands presided over the bench, with Michele A.R. Bernasconi of Switzerland and Jeffrey G. Benz of the United Kingdom being the other members.
Inter Kashi said on their social media handles that they welcomed the CAS ruling.
AIFF also released a statement saying that they will follow the orders of the CAS and implement the decision. 'The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, upheld an appeal filed by Inter Kashi FC against a decision issued on April 18, 2025, by an independent appellate committee. The CAS further set aside the decision issued by the Appeal Committee and upheld the terms of the decision of the Disciplinary Committee, dated February 24, 2025, which deemed Namdhari FC to have fielded an ineligible player in Match 45 of the I-League 2024-25 (Namdhari FC vs Inter Kashi),' AIFF said on its website.
'The match, as per the terms of the decision of the Disciplinary Committee, was awarded as a 3-0 victory to Inter Kashi. The AIFF followed the orders and implemented the decision of the Independent Committee, and will now follow the CAS orders and implement its decision,' the AIFF statement read further.
After CAS's latest ruling, Inter Kashi would be in second place on 38 points, below Churchill (42 points). If Inter Kashi wins their second appeal, they may accumulate 42 points, while Churchill may lose two points.