Kolkata: The wish of former I-League champions Churchill Brothers to play in the Indian Super League (ISL) is set to be fulfilled after Jamshedpur FC transferred their sporting licence to the Goa club on Friday for ₹100.
“Tata Steel has agreed to transfer its equity shares in ‘Jamshedpur Football & Sporting Private Limited’ (JFSPL) to Churchill Brothers Football Club for a token consideration,” the steel major said in a media release.
Churchill Brothers have paid the clubs’ share of ₹1.1 crore to All India Football Federation (AIFF) to be part of 2026-27 ISL, sources atthe federation and club officials told HT speaking separately.
“We had to be back where we belong,” Churchill Brothers said on Instagram. “Our President Churchill Alemao … never stopped believing. Somehow, he always finds a way. While some saw decline, we saw opportunity. While some saw the end, we saw another beginning.”
The share transfer agreement includes head coach Owen Coyle, his assistant Alexander Stewart and 12 players including internationals Pronay Halder, Nikhil Barla, Mohammed Sanan and Albino Gomes. Churchill Brothers will take over the contracts from September 1, the media release said.
“Since this is a token amount, I don’t think this sale undervalues the worth of ISL clubs,” a club CEO told HT over the phone from Mumbai. The CEO did not want to be named given the sensitive nature of the issue. In 1982, Ken Bates had bought Chelsea for £1. Churchill Brothers were India champions in 2008-09 and 2012-13 after winning the I-League.
They were relegated to the third tier of the Indian league pyramid for pulling out of the Indian Football League in 2025-26. That happened after AIFF had declared Churchill Brothers provisional champions of 2024-25 I-League but the decision was successfully contested by Inter Kashi at The Court of Arbitration for Sport. As I-League winners, Inter Kashi were promoted to ISL.
Also, on Friday, the bid for an ISL broadcast partner had only one streaming platform showing interest and that too without any financial commitment. ISL clubs are likely to meet next week to decide whether to re-tender or share production costs and use a subscription model to show games, a club official said.
