Inter Kashi were declared I-League champions by the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Friday. CAS rejected the decision made by the appeals committee of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to award the title to Churchill Brothers of Goa.
“The appeal filed on 4 June 2025 by Inter Kashi FC against the decision issued on 31 May 2025 by the Appeal Committee of the All-India Football Federation is partially upheld.
“The decision issued on 31 May 2025 by the Appeal Committee of the All India Football Federation is set aside,” said the CAS verdict handed down by sole arbitrator Frans de Weger of the Netherlands.
“The AIFF shall forthwith declare Inter Kashi FC as winner of the I-league 2024-25 season,” the order added.
“We will respect the decision,” AIFF deputy secretary general M Satyanarayan said from New Delhi.
“We are all grateful that truth has won,” Inter Kashi president Prithvijit Das said.
The AIFF will have to pay 55 per cent (24,750 Swiss francs) of the arbitration cost and Churchill Brothers, Namdhari FC and Real Kashmir FC will bear the remaining amount. That is 15 per cent each and the total cost of the arbitration is 45,000 Swiss francs.
The federation will also have to pay 3,000 Swiss francs (₹3,22,275 approx) to Inter Kashi FC as “legal contribution towards its legal costs and other expenses incurred during these arbitral proceedings.”
The three I-League clubs will have to shell out 1000 Swiss francs each to their Varanasi-based rivals.
The AIFF will also have to pay 40 per cent (18,000 Swiss francs) of the total cost of arbitration (45,000 Swiss francs) and legal fees (2,000 Swiss francs) incurred by Inter Kashi in the first case, the verdict of which went in favour of the club on June 17.
In total, the Kalyan Chaubey-headed federation has a liability of more than ₹50 lakh.
With Friday’s decision, Inter Kashi gained an additional three points, taking their total to 42. This is enough to clinch the title ahead of provisional leaders Churchill, who dropped to second with 40 points.
Inter Kashi manager Antonio Lopez Habas was also the first coach to win the ISL Shield (Mohun Bagan Super Giant), ISL Cup (ATK) and the I-League.
The AIFF, on April 18, had announced Churchill as the I-League champions after its appeals committee ruled against Inter Kashi in a matter related to the fielding of an ‘ineligible player’. The club had ended in second spot after points were deducted from their tally.
Following an appeal by Inter Kashi, the CAS, on April 27, had barred the AIFF from conducting any formal felicitation ceremony till the case is decided.
The AIFF, however, went ahead with the ceremony and later, said that it had learnt about the directive only after the ceremony was conducted.