CHENNAI: WHAT can one get for ₹100? A big, tummy-filling snack? A few cups of tea for an outing with friends? Or a few stationary items for school?
For Goa-based football club Churchill Brothers, it got them a spot in India's premier footballing competition. Ironically so, they were the same club which had been fighting all kinds of battles to enter India’s top-flight tournament.
In what could be an eventful day in the history of the sport here, Tata Steel transferred its ISL sporting club license, 12 players, two coaches and 4,08,000 equity shares (worth Rs 10 each) it invested into Jamshedpur FC (Jamshedpur Football and Sporting Private Limited) to Churchill (Churchill Brothers Sports Club Private Limited) on Friday.
But one thing needs to be noted. Since the club-run ISL this season requires a participation fee of Rs 1.1 crore, that burden will fall on Churchill. Reportedly, the club has paid Rs 55 lakh in instalment.
This comes weeks after the owners had confirmed that the club – which won the 2021/22 ISL shield – will not continue in the 2026-27 season and set up a committee of directors to divest the stakes in the club.
DB Sundara Ramam, Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel said, “Churchill Brothers is a club with real history in Indian football, and we are glad that this agreement gives our players and coaches the opportunity to continue playing club football. We thank AIFF and Churchill Brothers for their partnership in making this transition a smooth one.
However, Ramam, in a statement reiterated that the firm will continue to invest in grassroot football.
"Tata Steel will continue to focus on football at the grassroots and youth level, given our legacy of identifying and nurturing young talent, especially among local and tribal communities. This includes the Tata Football Academy, which has trained 150 cadets who have represented India and 26 captains of national teams across various age groups. We will continue to maintain and enhance our sporting infrastructure - repurposing it for grassroots football and athlete development," he stated. Churchill Brothers will take over and continue the payment of contracts of all JFC players and coaching staff with effect from September 2026.
On Thursday, Jamshedpur FC stormed into the quarterfinal of the 135th Durand Cup after beating Indian Air Force FT 6-0 in Ranchi. They finished 5th in the truncated 2026 ISL season. While this may raise questions over the amount in which the transaction happened, sources in All India Football Federation (AIFF) had clarified that only Churchill were in the running to get JFC’s licenses. “This time, they have their chance to go to the ISL. Hopefully, they run it well,” an AIFF official told this daily. According to a AIFF order issued in May this year, they were relegated to the Indian Football League-2, the third division of Indian football, for non-participation in the 2025-26 Indian Football League season (formerly I-League). It remains to be seen whether the order stands.
Churchill’s timeline
From going to court over the alleged player issue in the 2024/25 IFL (formerly I-League), drama has been the main theme when it comes to the last 18 months. The Goa-based club were provisionally awarded the first place finish in the 24/25 IFL season (formerly I-League) ahead of Inter Kashi. Kashi, who were deducted by the appeals committee of the AIFF over fielding an ineligible player, had challenged the order at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). There, the tribunal had ruled in favour of the club, directing the AIFF to hand the title to Kashi and award them promotion to the ISL. Earlier this year, talks of the Goa-based team being included in the truncated 2026 ISL season gained momentum, with the AIFF inviting clubs for their opinion. However, after strong opposition from 12 ISL clubs, the inclusion as a matter was put to bed.
Churchill Brothers CEO Valanka Alemao was not available for a comment.