NEW DELHI: Delhi will finally have a club in the I-League with the AIFF bid evaluation committee granting Sudeva FC the right to be a part of the 2020-21 I-League season. Members of the AIFF bid committee and representatives of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) had an online meeting on Wednesday wherein they took the decision.
The Delhi-based club were competing with Sreenidhi FC and Ryntih FC for the lone direct corporate entry slot. The AIFF also decided that Vishakhapatnam-based Sreenidhi FC will join the I-League from next year. The AIFF had sought a few clarifications from all three competing clubs in their last meeting in July.
“After scrutinising the clarifications sought for from the submitted documents, and also presentations from the respective bidders in the previous meeting (July 31, 2020), the Committee, after consultation with PwC decided to grant playing rights to Sudeva in the forthcoming I-League 2020-21,” the AIFF said in a statement.
With Mohun Bagan leaving to join the ISL, the I-League had been reduced to 10 teams and with Sudeva’s entry, the number of teams is currently at 11. One team is expected to join from the second division, taking the total number to 12. Sudeva will also be exempt from relegation in their first season.
Delhi always had a strong footballing culture but that has not made its presence felt in the national circuit. Most Delhi clubs in the second division have been unable to make the cut for the I-League. Delhi Dynamos was the last club from the city to play in the ISL. Sudeva, formerly known as Moonlight FC, have been part of the Delhi league since the 1960s. The current management took control of the club in 2016.