Race to the I-League

With just over a week to go till the conclusion of the I-League second division the league it is still too close to call which 2 teams will make it into the I-League.

Position Team P W D L GF GA PTS GD 1 ONGC 9 6 2 1 18 6 20 +12 2 Royal Wahingdoh FC 10 5 1 4 13 11 16 +2 3 Mohammedan SC 9 5 1 3 13 10 16 +3 4 United Sikkim FC 9 4 3 2 15 13 15 +2 5 Kalighat MS 10 2 4 4 13 12 10 0 6 Vasco SC 10 2 4 4 14 19 10 -5 7 Aizawl FC 9 1 1 7 11 25 4 -14

The top 4 teams still have a realistic chance of finishing in the top 2 and winning the promotion but with a 4 point gap at the top, ONGC look favourites at present. Surely it would save the AIFF a headache if ONGC finish outside the top 2 as company teams should not gain entry into the I-League and this would certainly generate a few complaints. Another cause for complaint would be that ONGC were gifted 3 points by a foolish blunder from the Royal Wahingdoh Management. The Royals deserved their punishment for fielding an ineligible player but the 3 point gift to ONGC was no fault of Mohammedan Sporting or United Sikkim. If ONGC are promoted at the expense of either of these powerful clubs then I doubt we will have heard the last of this matter.

ONGC still need to play USFC and Mohammedan before their final game against Aizawl so promotion is far from secure.

Second placed Royal Wahingdoh have played a game more than Mohammedan and USFC and will need to take maximum points from their games with Vasco and Kalighat in their final 2 games. I suspect they will rue the decision to play a fourth foreigner against ONGC and sacrifice those 3 precious points.

Mohammedan Sporting have their destiny in their own hands and 3 wins from their final games will clinch promotion for the Kolkata giants. They must beat Aizawl then have 2 cup finals against ONGC and USFC to return to the top division where a club of this stature belongs.

USFC appeared to be running away with the title with some impressive wins in the Silchar. With the second stage in their home stadium it looked certain that Sikkim would power into the I-League in front of their own fans. However, Baichung Bhutia’s team have lost their form and been pushed down to 4th position. Even 3 wins from their final 3 matches will not guarantee promotion but they will certainly be ready should any team slip up.

So will there be a legal challenge for the second successive season? Will the AIFF expand the league?

Whatever happens, it is healthy for Indian football that despite JCT and Mahindra giving up, there are still fantastic clubs like USFC and Royal Wahingdoh and Kolkata giants Mohammedan, fighting to get into the I-League.

(Table taken from the AIFF website)

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