Dempo SC and Real Kashmir FC played to a 2-2 draw in an I-League match featuring stunning goals and a frantic finish.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) tweeted, "Real Kashmir FC have withdrawn from AIFF Super Cup 2025-26, as VISAS for their foreign players could not be secured. They will be replaced by Dempo SC."
Despite playing with a man less for virtually the entire match, Real Kashmir's defence stood resilient, managing to hold off Sreenidi Deccan's late surges to ensure the points were shared.
Derby in Super Cup group stage as Mohun Bagan, East Bengal drawn together
At a time when Indian football is seeking a radical overhaul, the Super Cup, starting in Goa from Saturday, could act as a catalyst for clubs to build their teams, prepare their players, get valuable match time, and keep their hopes of continental qualifications alive.
Diamond Harbour FC continued their winning run in the 134th Durand Cup with a commanding 8-1 victory over BSF Football Club in a Group B clash in Imphal on Friday.
Real Kashmir FC on Thursday attended as a special guest a Football for Peace (FFP) event under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco.
A stunning long-range strike from midfielder Rohen Singh proved to be the difference as Real Kashmir FC edged a spirited TRAU FC 2-1 in a Group F contest of the Durand Cup in Imphal on Monday.
'Things changed for us and all the children in the valley when we won the Second Division' 'When we played our I-League home matches it was always a full house. Rain, snow, sunshine, our fans came to cheer for us'
Real Kashmir FC proudly represents a region whose scars are getting a chance to be healed by the beautiful game.
Desperate to get back to his ailing mother in Scotland, Real Kashmir FC coach David Robertson and his UK-based players' stay in Srinagar has got extended due to unavailability of chartered flights from the Valley. With his mother undergoing chemotherapy for cancer in Aberdeen, the coach is anxious and so is his co-owner, Sandeep Chattoo, who has been in constant touch with officials from the government, trying to work out a solution.
Inter Kashi become I-League champions after CAS rejects AIFF Appeal Committee decision
Late strikes by Pintu Mahata and Sreyas V G ensured Indian Navy FT bounce back from a one-goal deficit to overcome local side TRAU FC 2-1 and book their spot in the quarterfinals of the 134th Durand Cup in Imphal on Tuesday.
Churchill Brothers finished above Inter Kashi FC, who are second with 39 points, but the the latter could still win the title on April 28, depending on outcome of AIFF appeal.
Real Kashmir FC's rise as a top side in the I-League has been "nothing short of a fairytale", feels its Scottish coach David Robertson, who is happy to have refused more lucrative assignments in other countries considering the "pure passion" for the beautiful game in the Kashmir Valley.
Robertson received a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to the local community.
No other football club -- big or small -- has an association with a global brand like Adidas in Indian football.
The win helped Real Kashmir climb to the sixth spot in the standings.
Aiming to expand the Real Kashmir FC community, the current path-breakers of Indian football are about to tread a glorious new path, as they visit Germany for a training stint at the renowned BVB Borussia Dortmund.
Both Churchill Brothers and Inter Kashi celebrated after their respective matches on Sunday.
Real Kashmir FC overcame the mental turmoil arising out of uncertain situations back home as they beat Chennai City FC 1-0 through a last minute goal in the 129th Durand Cup fixture, in Kalyani, on Wednesday.
In their first I-League clash in over a decade, Churchill Brothers defeated their Goan rivals Dempo Sports Club 2-0 at the Raia Stadium on Wednesday.
The win enabled SC Bengaluru leapfrog Aizawl FC into 10th place with 20 points from 19 matches, and pushed them out of the relegation zone. Real Kashmir, meanwhile, stay third with 32 points from as many games.
Inter Kashi slipped to third after a goalless draw with SC Bengaluru later in the day. The Kashmir-Namdhari result also ensured Churchill Brothers, who are at 28 points, will remain top of the table until the end of Round 15, at least.
Now AIFF's move to hand the trophy to Churchill Brother, just hours after the CAS order staying the federation's decision to declare the club as champions, could provoke international scrutiny, including from FIFA.
The 33-year-old has vast experience of playing in the United Kingdom, United States and the Gulf.
Sandeep Chattoo got the phone activated with 'special permission'
While Namdhari earned their second consecutive win and have seven points after round five, Real Kashmir have eight.
FC Goa on Wednesday secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Hyderabad FC in their Indian Super League (ISL) match
East Bengal edge past NEUFC 1-0 to register first win of ISL season
Real Kashmir FC, on Tuesday, became the first football club from Jammu and Kashmir to qualify for the country's top tier I-League
The documentary narrates the journey of former Rangers ace David Robertson as the coach of Real Kashmir FC
Real Kashmir FC's upcoming home leg I-League fixture against East Bengal was Monday shifted to New Delhi in view of the prevailing 'uncertainity' in Srinagar.
Real Kashmir FC made their I-League debut last season and had mixed results, winning three of their six fixtures in the preliminary round.
Earlier in the day, TRAU FC earn maiden I-League point after 2-2 draw against Real Kashmir,
'But again, do we have a choice? Absolutely not. The entire world does not have a choice. Everyone has to deal with patience. It is a global issue so the awareness is global, too.'
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday
Stranded in Srinagar for more than a month due to the coronavirus-forced national lockdown, Real Kashmir FC head coach David Robertson and his family will finally return to Scotland on Thursday, ending an anxious wait to attend to his sick mother. Robertson, his wife Kim, son Mason, who plays for the club, and three support staff reached Jammu on Wednesday by an official bus of RKFC which left Srinagar early in the morning. They will fly back home in a British Airways flight from Amritsar on Thursday afternoon.
Bengaluru FC offer to play friendly in Srinagar, Real Kashmir invite them in March
Five players and three team officials from Real Kashmir FC, one player each from Mohammedan Sporting, debutants Sreenidi Deccan FC and Aizawl FC returned positive in the tests, conducted in Kolkata, on Tuesday.
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