Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The proposed transfer of Jamshedpur FC’s Indian Super League (ISL) licence to Churchill Brothers for a token Rs 100 has reached the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, adding a fresh legal dimension to the controversial deal.
Salcete-based football fan Derick Dias has approached CAS seeking urgent interim measures to prevent the transfer from being approved by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). CAS has acknowledged the plea and is examining whether provisional relief should be granted.
Dias has filed the application under Article R37 of the CAS Code. His petition challenges the proposed transaction between Tata Steel’s Jamshedpur Football & Sporting Pvt Ltd and Churchill Brothers, arguing that the arrangement could undermine sporting merit and circumvent the established promotion and relegation system.
According to the plea, allowing the transfer to proceed before the start of the new ISL season could cause what Dias describes as irreversible damage to the competitive integrity of the league.
Any interim order from CAS could put the AIFF’s approval process on hold and create uncertainty over Churchill Brothers’ participation in the upcoming ISL season.
Churchill Brothers have maintained that their return to the top division represents an important moment for the club. In a social media post, the club said its president Churchill Alemao had continued to believe in the club’s comeback despite its decline in recent years.
Club CEO Valanka Alemao has not publicly responded to the CAS proceedings. However, speaking to a national television news channel, she said Churchill Brothers would consider the matter and expressed confidence that the outcome would be in the best interests of Indian football without harming any party.
Jamshedpur FC, meanwhile, has not issued a fresh public statement on the CAS plea following Tata Steel’s announcement regarding its exit from the club.
The legal challenge has also attracted attention within Goa’s football fraternity, given Churchill Brothers’ long association with the state and its football culture.
Former India defender Franky Baretto, who represented the Varca-based Churchill Brothers during his playing career, said he hoped the club’s potential ISL return would generate excitement among Goan supporters and provide greater opportunities for players from the state.
The CAS will have to consider several factors before deciding on the request for interim relief, including the prospects of the case succeeding, whether irreparable harm could occur without immediate intervention and where the balance of interests lies.
The proceedings have therefore become significant not only for Churchill Brothers and Jamshedpur FC, but also for the wider debate surrounding sporting merit, promotion and relegation and the future of Goan representation in India’s top football league.
