2021–22 I-League

The 2021–22 I-League (also known as Hero I-League for sponsorship reasons) will be the 15th season of I-League, last as the top tier of Indian football league system, since its establishment in 2007. All the matches will be hosted in a bio-secure bubble in West Bengal due to COVID-19 pandemic in India.

Hero I-League
Season2021–22
Dates26 December 2021 – April 2022
PromotedRajasthan United
Kenkre
2022–23 →
All statistics correct as of 8 December 2021.

Gokulam Kerala are the defending champions.[1]

Changes from last season

Number of clubs

The total number of clubs participating increased from 11 in the previous season to 13 in this season.

In 2020 the All India Football Federation (AIFF) issued an invitation to accept bids for new clubs from non I-League cities, like Delhi, Gangtok, Ranchi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Mangalore, Bhopal, Lucknow, Kanpur, Ahmedabad and Calicut among many others, to join the league from 2020 onwards. The invitation mentioned that the entity which wins the bid will be granted the right to own and operate a new football club.[2] On 12 August 2020, the AIFF announced that Sreenidi Deccan FC, which is based in Visakhapatnam would join from this season.[3][4]

On 4 December 2021, the AIFF barred the former I-League champions, Chennai City FC, from participating in 2021-22 I-League on failing to comply with club licensing regulations, and eventually replaced by Kenkre FC.

Promoted from the 2021 I-League Qualifiers

Relegated clubs

Relegated from the 2020–21 I-League

Notes
  1. After Chennai City FC was barred from participation in the league, Kenkre FC replaced them being the runner-up of 2021 I-League Qualifiers
  2. Viewing the deprecating financial conditions of the many clubs during the COVID-19 pandemic, the AIFF decided to withdraw relegation for a season.

Format

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament's format was shortened last season, and the same format is being followed. All teams will face each other once in the first leg of the league, then they will be divided into two different groups. According to points table from first leg, top seven teams will face each other once again in the Championship stage, where the team with most points (cumulative points collected from all seventeen matches) will be declared the winner of the league and qualify for the 2023 AFC Cup group stage. The other five teams will play against each other in a Relegation stage where the team with the lowest points (cumulative points collected from all sixteen matches) will be relegated to 2022-23 2nd division league.[5]

Teams
Locations of current I-League clubs

Stadiums and locations

Due to COVID-19 pandemic in India, all the matches will be played in a single venue. AIFF declared West Bengal as the venue on 26 June.[6] Matches will be played in Mohun Bagan Ground in Kolkata, Kalyani Stadium in Kalyani and Naihati Stadium in Naihati.[7]

Stadium Capacity Location
Kalyani Municipal Stadium 20,000 Kalyani, Nadia
Mohun Bagan Ground 20,000 Maidan, Kolkata
Naihati Bankimanjali Stadium 25,000 Naihati, North 24 Parganas
Team Location
Aizawl Aizawl, Mizoram
Churchill Brothers Margao, Goa
Gokulam Kerala Calicut, Kerala
Indian Arrows Bhubaneswar, Odisha
Kenkre Kolhapur, Maharashtra
Mohammedan Kolkata, West Bengal
NEROCA Imphal, Manipur
Punjab Ludhiana, Punjab
Rajasthan United Bhilwara, Rajasthan
Real Kashmir Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir
Sreenidi Deccan Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
Sudeva Delhi New Delhi, Delhi
TRAU Imphal, Manipur

Personnel and sponsorship
Team Head coach Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Aizawl Yan Law Alfred Jaryan Vamos[8] NECS Limited[9]
Churchill Brothers Petre Gigiu Nivia Sports[10] Churchill
Gokulam Kerala Vincenzo Alberto Annese Sharif Mukhammad SEGA[11] Sree Gokulam Group[12]
Indian Arrows Shanmugam Venkatesh Lalchhanhima Sailo SIX5SIX[13] Hero MotoCorp
Kenkre Akhil Kothari Azhar Delhiwala Hummel
Mohammedan Andrey Chernyshov[14] Nikola Stojanović Hummel BunkerHill Sports[15]
NEROCA Khogen Singh[16] Thounaogam Dinesh Singh Nivia Sports[17] Grow Manipur Team[18]
Punjab Ashley Westwood SIX5SIX[19] RoundGlass Sports[20]
Rajasthan United Francesc Bonet Akeem Abioye Ambition Sportswear Purnima University
Real Kashmir David Robertson Mason Robertson SIX5SIX[21] Hotel CH2[21]
Sreenidi Deccan Fernando Santiago Varela[22] Nivia Sreenidi Group
Sudeva Delhi Mehrajuddin Wadoo (interim) Sairuat Kima Hummel Liquid Life[23]
TRAU Nandakumar Singh Helder Lobato Ribeiro Ambition Sportswear

Head coaching changes
Team Outgoing coach Manner of departure Date of vacancy Ref. Week Table Incoming coach Date of appointment Ref.
Sreenidi Deccan Expansion team Pre-season Fernando Santiago Varela 20 April 2021
Mohammedan Sankarlal Chakraborty End of caretaker spell 10 May 2021 Andrey Chernyshov 12 May 2021 [24]
Churchill Brothers Fernando Santiago Varela End of contract 20 April 2021 Petre Gigiu 18 June 2021
NEROCA Gift Raikhan End of contract 30 June 2021 Khogen Singh 3 July 2021 [16]
Punjab Curtis Fleming Signed by Bristol City 1 June 2021 Ashley Westwood 15 July 2021 [25]
Sudeva Delhi Chencho Dorji Technical Director 13 November 2021 Mehrajuddin Wadoo (caretaker) 13 November 2021
Rajasthan United Vikrant Sharma Technical Director 2 December 2021 Francesc Bonet 2 December 2021

Transfers

Foreign players

AIFF allowed maximum of four foreign players including one from AFC-affiliated country per team.[26] Indian Arrows cannot sign any foreign player as they are part of AIFF's developmental program.

Team Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 AFC Player Former Player
Aizawl Aser Pierrick Dipanda Bazie Armand Willis Plaza Olimjon Karimov Matías Verón / Alfred Jaryan
Churchill Brothers Guilherme Escuro Sekou Sylla Kenneth Ikechukwu Shadi Skaf
Gokulam Kerala Aminou Bouba Rahim Osumanu Sharif Mukhammad
Kenkre Zacharie Mbenda
Mohammedan Nikola Stojanović Andjelo Rudović Marcus Joseph Shaher Shaheen
NEROCA Juan Mera Sergio Mendigutxia Ben Quansah Mohamad Kdouh
Punjab Josef Yarney Kurtis Guthrie Joseba Beitia Travis Major
Rajasthan United Diego Bielkiewicz Fabiano Alves Marcelinho Komron Tursunov Akeem Abioye
Real Kashmir Tiago Adan Mason Robertson Fran Gonzalez
Sreenidi Deccan FC Juan David Castañeda Mohamed Awal
Sudeva Delhi
TRAU Helder Lobato Ribeiro Douglas Santana Veloso Joseph Olaleye Akobir Turaev

Phase 1

Standings
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Aizawl 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Championship Stage
2 Churchill Brothers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 Gokulam Kerala 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 Indian Arrows[lower-alpha 1] 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Kenkre 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 Mohammedan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 NEROCA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 Punjab 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Relegation Stage
9 Rajasthan United 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
10 Real Kashmir 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
11 Sreenidi Deccan[lower-alpha 2] 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
12 Sudeva Delhi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
13 TRAU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Source:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored; 6) drawing of lots
Notes:
  1. Indian Arrows were exempted from relegation, as they are an AIFF developmental team.
  2. Sreenidi Deccan will be exempted from relegation for this season, as they had achieved direct league entry.[27]

Fixtures and results

All matches were played at neutral venues. The "home" and "away" are designated for administrative purposes.

Home \ Away AIZ CHB GOK ARW KEN MOH NER RPU RAJ REK SRD SUD TRU
Aizawl — — 3 Feb — 29 Jan 30 Dec — — — — 18 Feb — 8 Feb
Churchill Brothers 24 Jan — — — — — — — — — — 5 Jan —
Gokulam Kerala — 26 Dec — 14 Feb 10 Jan — — — 30 Jan 4 Jan — — —
Indian Arrows 19 Jan 24 Feb — — 19 Feb — — — — — 24 Jan — —
Kenkre — 14 Feb — — — — — 5 Jan — — — — —
Mohammedan — 15 Jan 25 Jan 10 Jan 20 Jan — — 13 Feb 9 Feb — 4 Jan 27 Dec —
NEROCA 13 Feb 3 Feb 30 Dec 29 Jan 8 Feb 23 Feb — — 18 Feb — 27 Dec — —
Punjab 9 Jan 31 Dec 24 Feb 9 Feb — — 19 Jan — — 25 Jan 14 Jan 4 Feb 19 Feb
Rajasthan United 5 Jan 20 Jan — 15 Jan 25 Jan — — 26 Dec — 13 Feb — 9 Jan —
Real Kashmir 27 Dec 9 Feb — 4 Feb 31 Dec 18 Feb 14 Jan — — — 9 Jan 30 Jan 23 Feb
Sreenidi Deccan — 29 Jan 8 Feb — 3 Feb — — — 23 Feb — — — 30 Dec
Sudeva Delhi 14 Jan — 19 Feb 31 Dec 24 Feb — 24 Jan — — — 19 Jan — —
TRAU — 10 Jan 20 Jan 26 Dec 15 Jan 30 Jan 4 Jan — 4 Feb — — 14 Feb —
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: I-League
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Positions by round

The table lists the positions of teams after each round mentioned in official fixtures.

Promotion to Championship stage
Demotion to Relegation stage
Source:

Results by games
Source:
W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Phase 2

Championship stage (Group A)
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Champion, Qualification for 2023 AFC Cup[28]
2 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored; 6) drawing of lots

Relegation stage (Group B)
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Relegation to 2022-23 I-League 2nd Division
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored; 6) drawing of lots

Awards
  • Match 1 - 78 = First phase
  • Match 79 - 114 = Second phase

Hero of the match
Match No. Hero of the match Match No. Hero of the match Match No. Hero of the match
Player Club Player Club Player Club
Match 1 Match 2 Match 3
Match 4 Match 5 Match 6
Match 7 Match 8 Match 9
Match 10 Match 11 Match 12
Match 13 Match 14 Match 15
Match 16 Match 17 Match 18
Match 19 Match 20 Match 21
Match 22 Match 23 Match 24
Match 25 Match 26 Match 27
Match 28 Match 29 Match 30
Match 31 Match 32 Match 33
Match 34 Match 35 Match 36
Match 37 Match 38 Match 39
Match 40 Match 41 Match 42
Match 43 Match 44 Match 45
Match 46 Match 47 Match 48
Match 49 Match 50 Match 51
Match 52 Match 53 Match 54
Match 55 Match 56 Match 57
Match 58 Match 59 Match 60
Match 61 Match 62 Match 63
Match 64 Match 65 Match 66
Match 67 Match 68 Match 69
Match 70 Match 71 Match 72
Match 73 Match 74 Match 75
Match 76 Match 77 Match 78
Match 79 Match 80 Match 81
Match 82 Match 83 Match 84
Match 85 Match 86 Match 87
Match 88 Match 89 Match 90
Match 91 Match 92 Match 93
Match 94 Match 95 Match 96
Match 97 Match 98 Match 99
Match 100 Match 101 Match 102
Match 103 Match 104 Match 105
Match 106 Match 107 Match 108
Match 109 Match 110 Match 111
Match 112 Match 113 Match 114
Source: The AIFF

See also

References
  1. "Gokulam Kerala script incredible comeback to win maiden I-League". Times of India. 27 March 2021. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  2. "AIFF invites bids for new clubs to join Hero I-League 2020 onwards". AIFF. 5 June 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  3. "Sudeva and Sreenidhi granted playing rights in Hero I-League from 2020-21 and 2021-22 respectively". AIFF. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  4. "Sreenidhi Football Club". AIFF. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  5. "Hero I-League 2020-21 to start on January 9 with a new shorter format". the-aiff.com. 7 November 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  6. "I-League 2021-22 to be held in Kolkata: Everything you need to know | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  7. "I-League to kick off on Boxing Day in Kolkata; 13 teams to compete this season". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  8. "Aizawl FC announce Vamos as Kit Sponsor". 20 November 2020. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  9. Das Sharma, Amitabha (19 January 2018). "Aizawl looks to build future with own hands". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  10. "Nivia Sports Official Website". Nivia Sports. Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  11. "Gokulam Kerala sign new kit sponsorship deal with SEGA Shoes". Archived from the original on 12 July 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  12. "The Club - Gokulam Kerala FC". gokulamkeralafc.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  13. "NEW YEAR, NEW KIT FOR INDIAN FOOTBALL". 19 December 2018. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  14. "Mohammedan Sporting appointed Andrey Chernyshov as head coach". IFTWC.com. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  15. "Mohammedan Sporting Club - Official Website". Mohammedan. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  16. "I-League – Former I-League winning coach Khogen Singh signs for NEROCA FC". IFTWC. 4 July 2021. Archived from the original on 3 July 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  17. NEROCA F.C. [@NerocaFC] (2 September 2021). "We are glad to announce Nivia Sports as the official kit partner of Neroca FC" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 September 2021 – via Twitter.
  18. "The launching pad is on!". Facebook.com. Archived from the original on 12 July 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  19. RoundGlass Punjab FC [@SIX5SIXSport] (17 September 2021). "We are excited to welcome @RGPunjabFC to the @SIX5SIXSport family for the next 3 years!" (Tweet). Retrieved 17 September 2021 – via Twitter.
  20. "Real Kashmir FC: Official Website". Arunava Chaudhuri. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  21. "Real Kashmir FC: Official Website". Real Kashmir FC. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  22. "Sreenidhi FC appoint Fernando Varela as head coach for I-League 2021-22 season". Sportskeeda. 20 April 2021. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  23. "Our Sponsors & Partners". Sudeva Delhi FC. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  24. "Mohammedan Sporting appointed Russian Andrey Chernyshov as their head coach |". IFTWC.com. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  25. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  26. "AIFF Implements '3+1' rule for I-League 2020-21". Indo-Asian News Service. Times Now. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  27. "Sudeva FC wins bid for direct entry into the I-League - All you need to know | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  28. "AFC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE APPROVE INDIAN FOOTBALL ROADMAP". www.the-aiff.com. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
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