Holders Churchill Brothers to be excluded from Federation Cup

Defending Federation Cup champions Churchill Brothers may not be able to defend their title this season as they don’t have the license to play in the I-League, according to a TOI report.

The Red Machines managed to survive in the I-League by beating Salgaocar on the last day of the season but they failed to get the national club license to play in next season’s I-League along with United SC, Rangdajied United and Mohammedan Sporting.

An AIFF official confirmed that none of the four clubs will be allowed to play in India’s FA Cup also this season unless the rules are changed.

“The Federation Cup is for teams who are in the top tier of Indian football. Churchill Brothers have been denied a licence to play in the I-League, so there is no question of them playing in the Federation Cup.

“So far we have just 10 teams who will be part of the Federation Cup and a decision must be taken whether we are going ahead with 12 teams or 16. If it's twelve, the two other teams could be from the second division. If the teams have to be extended to 16, AIFF will have to break its own rules,” the official was quoted saying.

Goa is set to replace Jammu and Kashmir as the Federation Cup hosts and the tournament could start from December 10. If there are 12 participants, the competition will have four groups of three clubs each with the group winners progressing to the semis.