In what can only be described as a blow to the credibility of Indian football, the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) Appeals Committee has stayed the relegation of Delhi FC and SC Bengaluru from the 2024–25 I-League season. While both clubs have raised legal challenges, this post-season intervention exposes the lack of sporting integrity of the league that began with the clearly stated rule: the bottom two teams will be relegated. How can the rules of relegation be altered after the league has already concluded? This move sends the wrong message to clubs, fans, and stakeholders that the outcome of a season can be renegotiated after the final whistle.
If the concern is that relegating two teams would reduce the number of I-League participants, as happened in the previous season, the logical and fair solution would have been to promote more clubs from I-League 2. Stalling relegation is not the answer; it simply avoids consequences for poor performance.
The decision also reflects the AIFF’s increasingly fragile position. The Federation seems to be in survival mode, as questions continue to mount about its conduct of the 2024–25 I-League season. The most glaring issue, the ongoing dispute at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over whether Inter Kashi or Churchill Brothers are the rightful champions, has already damaged the league’s image. In this context, the sudden reversal on relegation appears like a desperate attempt to appease dissenting voices rather than a principled decision based on fairness.
This isn’t the first time AIFF has waived off relegation. In the past, teams like Aizawl FC and Churchill Brothers were allowed to stay despite finishing in relegation spots. Every time such an exception is made, it sets a new precedent, one that slowly eats away at the league’s legitimacy.
What adds to the irony is that Delhi FC, one of the two clubs in the relegation zone, is owned by Ranjit Bajaj, a vocal critic of the ISL’s franchise model and an advocate for promotion and relegation. Bajaj has long demanded that the ISL adopt a merit-based system, yet his club now benefits from administrative leniency rather than on-field success.
Another serious concern is the process itself. Does the AIFF Appeals Committee even have the authority to stay relegation? This is a structural question that needs urgent answering. The decision seems to have been made without proper consultation with the AIFF’s Executive Committee or wider stakeholders, further exposing governance lapses within the federation.
The idea that a club can perform poorly for an entire season and still avoid relegation through appeals will set a bad example for the future. Indian football is already struggling for attention and investment. Moves like these erode fan trust and push the sport further into irrelevance.
The AIFF must immediately reinstate the relegation rule, let appeals be processed without stalling the league’s structure, and promote more deserving teams from the lower division if needed. Football decisions should be made on the pitch, not in boardrooms.
