AIFF rejects Premier 1 club licence of HFC, Jamshedpur FC, Odisha FC, Kerala Blasters

New Delhi: All India Football Federation's (AIFF) Club Licensing Committee rejected the Premier 1 license of Indian Super League (ISL) clubs Jamshedpur FC, Odisha FC, Kerala Blasters and Hyderabad FC for the upcoming 2024-25 season.

The clubs were found disobeying multiple ‘A’ criteria failures, making them ineligible for AFC Club competitions and the national competitions. The clubs, however, have options to seek an exemption to participate in the National competitions by May 22.

The committee was chaired by Girija Shanker Mungali which also included Anirban Dutta (deputy chairman), Ravishankar Jayaraman, and Yash K Nayak (members) met via video conferencing on May 15.

Punjab FC was the only club to fulfil AIFF's criteria for the process and was granted a premier 1 club license for the 2024-25 season. Indian Super League (ISL) current champion Mohun Bagan Super Giant and ISL Cup winner Mumbai City FC along with East Bengal, FC Goa, Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC, NorthEast United FC and Mohammedan Sporting, the I-League champions 2023-24 who have secured promotion to the ISL 2024-25, received the license with sanctions.

"The Indian Club Licensing system is pivotal in maintaining the quality, professionalism, and infrastructure of football clubs in India. It is an annual process wherein clubs acquire the necessary license to partake in AFC and National competitions for each season. These licenses are categorised into ‘ICLS Premier 1’ for Indian Super League clubs and ‘ICLS Premier 2’ for I-League clubs," the AIFF said in a release.