Sporting clube de Goa confirmed they have formally withdrawn from I-League 2016-17 owing to "strong objections" to the proposed road map by All India Football Federation and its marketing partners IMG-Reliance for Indian football.
Bengaluru FC were crowned as I-League football champions for the second time in three years as they blanked Salgaocar 2-0 in their penultimate league match, in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
Indian Arrows stunned defending champions Minerva Punjab FC 2-1 to notch-up their fifth win of the 12th I-League season and leapfrog to the seventh position on the points table, in Bhubaneswar, on Wednesday.
Churchill Brothers came back from behind strongly to end Mohun Bagan's unbeaten run with a 2-1 win in the 12th round match of Hero I-League at Tilak Stadium, in Vasco, on Saturday.
The All India Football Federation on Thursday said the I-League clubs have agreed to the concurrent running of two leagues this season, a development which will set to rest the uncertainty prevalent in the domestic circuit at least for this year.
In one of the biggest achievements in Indian football history, unheralded Aizawl FC on Sunday lifted the I-League crown after they held Shillong Lajong 1-1 in a tense match in Shillong.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Salgaocar FC and Sporting Clube de Goa, Indian football's traditional outfits, decided to "withdraw" from the forthcoming season of the I-League over the All India Football Federation's decision to restructure the domestic league system.
Ranty Martins struck twice as United SC came back from behind to stun defending champions Churchill Brothers 3-2 in an eighth round I-League clash in Kalyani, West Bengal on Saturday.
Salgaocar Sports Club and Churchill Brothers were locked 1-1 in a seventh round I-League match at the Nehru stadium, in Fatorda, Goa, on Thursday. ND Opara drew first blood for Churchill in the 49th minute only for Chidi Edeh to pull it back for Salgaocar in the 71st.
Century-old club Mohun Bagan was on Saturday slapped with a two-year suspension by the All India Football Federation for abandoning their violence-marred I-League match against East Bengal on December 9.
'We will be starting with the U17 league first, followed by the U15 and U13. There will be spotters in most of the games of U13 leagues, to identify talents.'
Bengaluru FC will begin their I-League title defence against Shillong Lajong at home at Kanteerava Stadium in the inaugural game of the new season on January 7.
Goa's love affair with the country's premier football club competition continued as Salgaocar made short work of JCT, wining 2-0, at the Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana to finish atop with 56 points from 26 matches, beyond the reach of any other club.
Defending champions Mohun Bagan pipped Sporting Clube de Goa 1-0 courtesy Katsumi Yusa's late strike, tightening their grip on the pole position of the I-League football tournament, in Barasat, on Saturday.
Ryuji Sueoka and Francis Fernandes scored a goal in each half to guide Salgaocar to their eight win as they beat JCT to a convincing 2-0 in the eleventh round of the I-League, played at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda in Margao, on Sunday.
AIFF plans to go ahead with the 2020-21 I-League season even if the clubs' star foreign recruits are unable to make it due to the coronavirus-forced travel restrictions.
Churchill Brothers Sports Club continued with their winning run in the I-League as they coasted to a 3-1 win over Mumbai FC, at the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, Goa on Saturday.
Salgaocar held on to their first half strike by Gilbert Olivera to beat Shillong Lajong 1-0 and came out of the relegation in the Hero I-League in Vasco on Saturday.
Cornell Glen struck twice as defending champions Mohun Bagan continued their winning run by notching up a convincing 3-1 win over Salgaocar FC to remain at the top of the table after the 9th round of the Hero I-League played at Tilak Stadium, in Vasco, on Saturday.
United Sikkim Football Club (USFC) played a 1-1 draw against Kolkata's Mohammedan Sporting in Gangtok to qualify for next edition's I-League.
The All India Football Federation's senior vice-president Subrata Datta termed the decision by two I-League clubs SalgaocarSC and Sporting Clube de Goa to pull-out of I-League as something 'really unfortunate'.
With their eye on the AFC Cup, defending champion Dempo have removed focus from the I-League for the time being.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday
The 'Goan Supremacy' in Indian football continued as Churchill Brothers comfortably won their second I-League football title with a match to spare by playing out a 1-1 draw with Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan.
Aizawl FC stunned I-League champions Bengaluru FC 2-1 in their maiden match of the Federation Cup football tournament at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, in Aizawl, on Saturday.
Sporting Clube de Goa keeper Luis Barreto put up a brave front under the bar to hold Churchill Bros to a goalless draw and split points in the 10th round of the I-league, played at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, Margao.
Former captain and current advisor to All India Football Federation, Bhaichung Bhutia has admitted that the eight-year old I-League has been a failure and feels that the 'successful' Indian Super League should be given a few more seasons before a possible merger of the two.
Mohun Bagan, East Bengal blast AIFF after Goan clubs quit I-League
AIFF's Club Licensing Committee decided that based on the reports all the fourteen License Applicants failed to clear the Licensing Test.
Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan clinched their maiden I-League title in 13 years after managing a 1-1 draw against defending champions Bengaluru FC at Kanteerva Stadium in Bengaluru.
Salgaocar Football Club scored a resounding 4-0 win over Air India in the 13th round of the I-League to put their campaign back on track, in Goa on Sunday.
In a stunning development in Indian football, two-time champions Churchill Brothers were thrown out of the I-League along with three other teams for failing to fulfil the AIFF's club licensing criteria.
The All India Football Federation said that there would be a shake-up in the sport in the country and the roadmap ahead is to have just one league in near future.
The I-League on Saturday suffered another jolt with Shillong-based Royal Wahingdoh deciding not to play in the upcoming season, citing 'lack of proper roadmap for the league' and financial inviability, thereby becoming the third club to pull out of the nation's top football competition.
Goa's Churchill Brothers won their maiden I-League football crown after defeating Mohammedan Sporting 6-2 in the last round of matches at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa, on Thursday. They finished with 46 points, three more than their closest rivals Mohun Bagan, who were defeated by Mahindra United 2-1 in their last match. Sporting Clube de Goa were third, Dempo fourth and Mahindra United fifth. Odafa Okolie (26 goals) emerged the top scorer of the tournament.
A gold-plated trophy, which has a full-sized silver football at the top, will be presented to the champions of the 2012-13 season.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
Defending champions Dempo's I-League title hopes went up in smoke after they went down 2-3 to Pune FC in Pune on Friday.
Dempo SC made history when they won the I-League crown for a record fifth time on Friday as they held East Bengal to a goalless draw.
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