Air India and ONGC FC officially out of next season's I-League - report

21-Feb-2013 9:48:00 AM

The Indian FA have confirmed that the two clubs are officially out from the next term for non-fulfillment of FIFA and AFC's Club Licensing Criteria...

Just as Air India were set to unveil their new 'A'-Licence head coach in Naushad Moosha, who is currently the Mumbai FC Under-19 coach, while ONGC FC have seen an upward climb under Santosh Kashyap, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) have decided not to invite the two I-League outfits for an important Asian Football Confederation (AFC) club licensing seminar in Goa on Thursday.

This suggests that the axe has finally fallen on the two public sector clubs, namely Air India and ONGC, who remain the only two clubs in the I-League who have failed to meet the essential norms.

"The clubs needed some clarifications so we decided a workshop would be the best option. There will be discussions on the timelines and how soon we can complete the formalities," I-League CEO Sunando Dhar had confirmed to The Times of India on Wednesday.

Failing to register themselves as a separate entity was reportedly the only criterion that led to the Air India and ONGC FC to be ousted, while AIFF President Praful Patel has already mentioned that they are on the lookout for replacements.

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