AIFF declares results for Premier 1 Club Licensing ; Kerala Blasters, NorthEast United face rejection

Punjab FC is the only team to be granted a license by AIFF without any sanctions.

To maintain the topmost standard of professionalism, quality and infrastructure of the clubs competing in the Indian top flight and second division, a club licensing audit takes place. The licenses are subdivided into two different categories. The “Premier 1” license is granted for teams competing in the Indian Super League, while the “Premier 2” license indicates the fulfilment of all criteria to participate in the I-League.

After a comprehensive evaluation process, the All India Football Federation declared the club licensing results. Among the 15 clubs that submitted their application for the “Premier 1” license, only Punjab FC fulfilled all the criteria and was granted the license without any sanctions. While some teams were granted the license with some sanction after non-fulfilment of some minor criteria, some major ISL teams have seen their plea for a license rejected.

AIFF appointed former army man, Dr. Girija Mungil, as Club Licensing Committee chairperson.

The Club Licensing Committee chairperson, Dr. Girija Mungil, who also happens to be a paratrooper turned adventure sports enthusiast, reflects on the collective vision of AIFF to organise tournaments and set guidelines to make football better. He assured utmost impartiality while carrying out this extensive licensing process.

AIFF Acting Secretary General, Mr. M Satyanarayan laid stress on the importance of club licensing and said, “Not everyone may agree with the certain areas in licensing criteria that are set for clubs at various levels, but they must understand that as the clubs move up the ladder and start playing in higher leagues, be it in the I-League, ISL, or the AFC club competitions, the club licensing criteria become more important. So, we try to make sure that the clubs in India start from an early stage so they can comply with the regulations.”

What did the AIFF Club Licensing results say?

The All India Football Federation declared the Club Licensing Results for “Premier 1”. After a thorough evaluation, it was found that only Punjab FC fulfilled all criteria to be granted the license without any sanctions.

Some other ISL teams like ISL Shield and Cup Winners, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Bengaluru FC, Mumbai City FC, FC Goa, Chennaiyin FC and East Bengal have been granted the license with some sanctions due to non-fulfilment of some minor criteria.

Shockingly, some clubs’ appeal to secure a license has been outright rejected. This includes Kerala Blasters FC, Odisha FC, North East United FC, Mohammedan SC, Inter Kashi, Churchill Brothers, and BC Jindal-owned Hyderabad FC.

KBFC releases a statement to clarify the issue.

Kerala Blasters FC have released an official statement via X to clarify that due to certain compliance requirements, KBFC’s license has been rejected. They also assured to actively discuss with the relevant authorities to resolve this issue and get licensed to the earliest.

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