Mohammedan SC's promotion to the ISL is a big positive for Indian football: AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey
All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey, who recently presented the I-League 2024-24 trophy to the Mohammedan SC captain Samad Ali Malick, believes the team’s qualification to the Indian Super League is a big positive for football in the country.
Chaubey hailed the club’s fanbase and added that the team’s entry into the Indian Super League will help the nation’s top football league expand its audience.
“Mohammedan Sporting’s promotion to the ISL on the virtue of becoming the I-League 2023–24 Champions is a big positive for Indian football. This is a club older than FIFA. Given their dedicated brand of fans across the country, Mohammedan Sporting’s entry in the ISL will certainly do good for India’s top league and will bring more spectators to the ground,” Kalyan Chaubey said in a press release.
Mohammedan SC were exceptional in I-League 2023-24
Alongside AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, AIFF Executive Committee members Arif Ali, Syed Husnain Naqvi, and Shabbir Ali, UP Football Sangh secretary Mohammad Shahid, and Jharkhand Football Association secretary Ghulam Rabbani were all present on the podium to hand over the silverware.
Just four years after securing the promotion to the I-League, Mohammedan SC lifted their first-ever I-League 2023-24 trophy at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Stadium in Salt Lake, Kolkata.
Lifting a national league silverware was a much-awaited achievement for the 133-year-old club. More than 25,000 fans made it to the VYB Stadium to witness the players lift their first I-League title.
Mohammedan SC, who had already secured their top spot in the league, suffered a 1-3 defeat against the sixth-placed Delhi FC in the last game of their campaign.
Notably, Mohammedan SC finished their competition with 52 points from 24 matches, winning 15 games, drawing seven, and losing just two encounters. As the team gears up for promotion, their fans will be eager to watch them lock horns with the best clubs across the country.