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Churchill Brothers returned to the bottom of the I-League table at the weekend following their 4-2 defeat against Mumbai FC. The Goan club now have only three more games to avoid the embarrassment of getting relegated as the defending champions.
The Red Machines would possibly need to win at least two of their remaining three fixtures but even if they survive, Churchill Brothers are on the verge of becoming the worst-ever defending champions in the combined history of the National Football League (NFL) and I-League.
Only twice in the past have holders retained the league title – East Bengal (2003-04), Dempo (2007-08) – but no team has won successive I-League titles. No defending champion has been in danger of relegation in the past with holders finishing outside the top half of the table only on two previous occasions.
They were JCT in 1997-98 and Mohun Bagan in 2002-03. JCT, who won the inaugural edition of the NFL in 1996-97, finished seventh among ten teams in 97-98 and that is the worst finish by any defending champion but there was no relegation in the league that season.
The table below shows the performance of each defending champion over the years
| Season | Defending Champions | Number of teams | Final Position |
| 1997-98 | JCT | 10 | 7th |
| 1998-99 | Mohun Bagan | 12 | 4th |
| 1999-00 | Salgaocar | 12 | 3rd |
| 2000-01 | Mohun Bagan | 12 | 2nd |
| 2001-02 | East Bengal | 12 | 5th |
| 2002-03 | Mohun Bagan | 12 | 7th |
| 2003-04 | East Bengal | 12 | 1st |
| 2004-05 | East Bengal | 12 | 3rd |
| 2005-06 | Dempo | 10 | 5th |
| 2006-07 | Mahindra United | 10 | 3rd |
| 2007-08 | Dempo | 10 | 1st |
| 2008-09 | Dempo | 12 | 4th |
| 2009-10 | Churchill Brothers | 14 | 2nd |
| 2010-11 | Dempo | 14 | 3rd |
| 2011-12 | Salgaocar | 14 | 6th |
| 2012-13 | Dempo | 14 | 5th |
So in the I-League era, Salgaocar fared the worst among holders but Churchill Brothers are sure to create a new unwanted record. There have been many factors behind Churchill’s dramatic downfall like the considerable drop in quality of the foreigners that have been signed this term compared to last while there have been internal problems at the club with players not getting paid on time.
Surprisingly I-League’s only family club have done very well in the cup competitions this season as they won the Federation Cup and could still reach the knockout stage of the AFC Cup.
The two-time Indian champions play each of their last three matches (East Bengal, United SC and Salgaocar) in Goa but even nine points won’t be enough to take them to the top half. Churchill Brothers though will just be content to remain in the I-League even if they get the tag of being the worst-ever defending champions.
