Over the past two decades, Indian football has witnessed the rise and fall of several clubs, many of which folded under the weight of financial strain, poor planning, and systemic neglect.
FC Kochin, Kerala
NFL | Disbanded in 2002
FC Kochin, founded in April 1997, was a pioneering professional football club from Kerala. Nicknamed ‘The Elephants’, it made history by winning the Durand Cup in its debut year. It was the only Kerala club to play in the NFL in the late 1990s, often finishing strongly. Financial difficulties led to its dissolution around 2002.
Fransa-Pax FC, Goa
NFL | Disbanded in 2006
Founded in 2002 in Goa, Fransa-Pax FC competed in the Goa Professional League before gaining promotion to the NFL in the 2004–05 season, finishing fifth. The club controversially folded halfway through the next season after owner Mickky Pacheco accused the AIFF of conspiring to relegate it, leading to its dissolution in March 2006.
Mahindra United FC, Maharashtra
NFL, I-League | Disbanded in 2010
Mahindra United FC was a Mumbai-based club founded in 1962. The club won numerous honours, including the National Football League and Indian Federation Cup domestic double in the 2005–06 season. Additional accolades include winning the Durand Cup thrice and the IFA Shield twice. However, after the 2009–10 season, the club announced that it was shutting down, with the owners claiming they were going to focus on the group’s philosophy of developing sport at the grassroots.
JCT FC, Punjab
NFL, I-League | Disbanded in 2011
Jagatjit Cotton & Textile Football Club (JCT FC, above in red & white) was established in 1971 in Phagwara, Punjab. Nicknamed ‘The Millmen’, it famously won the inaugural National Football League in 1996 and multiple Durand Cups and Federation Cups. It was known for nurturing Indian talent, including Indian legend Sunil Chhetri. The senior team disbanded in 2011, though its academy continues and currently participates in the Punjab State Super Football League.
Bengal Mumbai FC, Maharashtra
NFL Div-2 | Disbanded in 2011
Founded in 1998, Bengal Mumbai FC aimed to reach the top tier of Indian football. Affiliated with the Mumbai Football Association (MFA), it achieved immediate success in its inaugural year, winning both the Mumbai Football League and the Rovers Cup. The club competed in the NFL Division II before being dissolved in 2011 due to financial and organisational challenges.
Viva Kerala FC, Kerala
NFL, I-League, Kerala Premier League | Disbanded in 2012
Viva Kerala FC, also known as Chirag United Club Kerala, was a team founded in 2004 and based in the city of Kochi. It participated in the NFL, the I-League, and the Kerala Premier League.
The side’s only triumph came during the 2005–06 season, when it lifted the KPL title. Following an unsuccessful stint in the I-League in subsequent years, the club was dissolved due to financial distress caused by a lack of proper sponsorship.
Into obscurity: Mumbai FC (left), former winners of the I-League 2nd Division and MDFA Elite League, folded in 2019, while the institutional side HAL (right) struggled to adapt and faded from top-tier football.
| Photo Credit:
K. MURALI KUMAR
Into obscurity: Mumbai FC (left), former winners of the I-League 2nd Division and MDFA Elite League, folded in 2019, while the institutional side HAL (right) struggled to adapt and faded from top-tier football.
| Photo Credit:
K. MURALI KUMAR
Travancore Titanium FC, Kerala
Kerala Premier League and I-League 2 | Disbanded in 2015
Travancore Titanium FC, founded in 1973 and based in present-day Thiruvananthapuram, primarily played in the Kerala Premier League and the Kerala State Club Football Championship, while also participating in the I-League 2nd Division. It won the KPL once in the 2000–01 season and clinched the Kerala State Club Football Championship 10 times. Despite these achievements, the club shut down operations in 2015 due to financial issues and a lack of proper player recruitment.
Bharat FC, Maharashtra
I-League | Disbanded in 2015
Kalyani Bharat FC, also known as Bharat FC, was founded in 2014 by the Kalyani Group in Pune. It was a direct-entry team into the I-League, playing its home games at the Balewadi Sports Complex. Despite initial investment, the club competed for only one season, finishing 11th in 2014–15, before being dissolved due to concerns over financial viability.
Royal Wahingdoh, Meghalaya
I-League, I-League 2, Shillong Premier League | Disbanded in 2016
Based in the foothills of Meghalaya, Royal Wahingdoh was founded in 1946 as Wahingdoh Sports Club. Nicknamed the ‘Royals’, the club played one season in the I-League and was a regular in the Shillong Premier League. In fact, the team won three consecutive SPL titles from 2010 to 2012. Wahingdoh’s best achievement came in 2014 when it won the I-League 2 title and earned promotion to the I-League. The team finished in third position in the 2014–15 I-League season, but decided against playing the following season despite receiving a national licence, due to the financial toll and lack of direction in the league.
Pune FC, Maharashtra
I-League | Disbanded in 2016
Owned by the Ashok Piramal Group, Pune FC was formed in 2007 and played two seasons in the I-League 2 before gaining promotion to the then top tier in 2009. The team’s best result came in the 2012–13 season, when it finished second in the standings. However, financial troubles forced the club to shut down ahead of the 2015–16 season, with ISL club FC Pune City acquiring the Pune FC academy and rebranding it under its name.
Mumbai FC, Maharashtra
I-League | Disbanded in 2017
Founded in 2007, Mumbai FC competed in the I-League after gaining promotion to the top tier by winning the I-League 2nd Division in 2008. It also took part in the MDFA Elite League (now known as the Mumbai Premier League) and lifted the title in the 2010–11 season. The team, however, failed to find success in the I-League under then-coach Khalid Jamil and was eventually relegated in 2017, after years of financial problems. Instead of playing in the second division, the club’s operations were shut down and it was subsequently disbanded in 2019.
DSK Shivajians FC, Maharashtra
I-League | Disbanded in 2017
Established in 1987 as Shivajians Sports Club in Pune, this community team dominated local football for two decades. In 2013, the DSK Group took over and renamed it. The club gained direct entry into the I-League in 2015 and notably partnered with Liverpool FC for a residential academy. It clinched a record 22 Pune Football League titles. However, its two-season stint in the I-League concluded in 2017 when the DSK Group’s financial difficulties led to the club’s withdrawal and eventual closure.
Delhi Dynamos, Delhi
ISL | Disbanded in 2019
Delhi Dynamos was one of the eight clubs to take part in the inaugural ISL season in 2014. The side competed in the top tier for five seasons, reaching the knockout stages twice (in 2015 and 2016). Ahead of the 2019–20 season, the club was rebranded as Odisha FC, and its base of operations was shifted to Bhubaneswar.
FC Pune City, Maharashtra
ISL | Disbanded in 2019
Like the Dynamos, FC Pune City was one of the founding clubs of the ISL. The team made it past the group stage only once in its five-year history, in the 2017–18 season, before losing to Bengaluru FC in the semifinal.
In 2019, the club was involved in a controversy after trying to sign Spaniard Néstor Gordillo from Chennai City FC while he was still under contract. The AIFF handed Pune City a two-window transfer ban, a two-year ban from participating in any AFC tournaments, along with fines. This forced the club to be dissolved within months and be replaced by Hyderabad FC in the tournament.
Rebel route: Salgaocar FC’s (left) decline began in 2016 when it pulled out of the I-League after objecting to the AIFF’s restructuring decisions regarding the I-League and ISL.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
Rebel route: Salgaocar FC’s (left) decline began in 2016 when it pulled out of the I-League after objecting to the AIFF’s restructuring decisions regarding the I-League and ISL.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
Atletico de Kolkata, West Bengal
ISL | Disbanded in 2020
Initially named Atletico de Kolkata due to its affiliation with Spanish club Atletico de Madrid, the Kolkata-based football club, later known simply as ATK, competed in the Indian Super League (ISL) from its inaugural campaign until the 2019–20 season. ATK clinched the ISL Cup three times: in 2014, 2016, and the 2019–20 season, the last of which came when the ISL was recognised as India’s top-tier league.
During the closing months of that season, ATK’s owners, the RPSG Group, along with Sourav Ganguly and entrepreneur Utsav Parekh, bought a majority stake in I-League side Mohun Bagan. In July 2020, ATK was officially disbanded, paving the way for Mohun Bagan to join the ISL as ATK Mohun Bagan in the 2020–21 season.
United Sikkim FC, Sikkim
I-League | Disbanded in 2021
United Sikkim FC, co-owned by former Indian men’s team captain Bhaichung Bhutia, was founded in 2011. Nicknamed the ‘Snow Lions’, it is the only club from Sikkim to have played in the I-League. It competed in the Sikkim Premier Division League and played home matches at the Paljor Stadium. In September 2019, Bhutia announced the club was shutting down due to unavoidable circumstances. It was briefly revived in January 2021 before being permanently closed down, even though its academy still exists.
Indian Arrows, AIFF
I-League | Disbanded in 2022
Indian Arrows FC was established in 2010 by the AIFF as a developmental team, initially known as AIFF XI, to nurture young Indian football talent. After a brief disbandment in 2013 due to financial constraints, it was revived in 2017. The club provided a platform for India’s brightest youth players to gain I-League experience, aiming to strengthen the national team.
Chennai City FC, Tamil Nadu
I-League | Disbanded in 2023
Nicknamed ‘The Lions’, Chennai City FC was founded in 1946 as Nethaji Sports Club. It primarily competed in state leagues for decades before being renamed in 2014. The club gained national prominence when it entered the I-League in 2016, achieving its greatest success by winning the title in the 2018–19 season. However, due to persistent failures in complying with AIFF’s club licensing regulations, it was barred from the 2021–22 I-League. On March 3, 2023, the club officially transferred its sporting licence, signalling its exit from professional football and effectively disbanding its senior team.
Salgaocar FC, Goa
NFL, I-League | Disbanded in 2023
Salgaocar FC, based in Goa, was one of the most successful clubs in the country. After its formation in 1956, the team won numerous major trophies, including the NFL in the 1998–99 season and the I-League in 2010–11. Additionally, the club also won four Federation Cups, three Durand Cups, three Rovers Cups and two Indian Super Cups. The team’s decline began in 2016 when it pulled out of the I-League after objecting to the AIFF’s restructuring decisions regarding the I-League and ISL. In 2023, the club announced it was shutting down senior team operations.
INSTITUTIONAL SIDES
In the past, the top tier of Indian football (I-League, previously NFL) had many institutional sides. These teams rarely challenged for the title but were strong enough to do well in the second division and earn promotion. The teams included Hindustan Aeronautics Sports Club (commonly known as HAL SC), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Football Club (ONGC FC), and State Bank of Travancore Football Club (SBT FC). These three, along with the omnipresent Air India FC, which won the Durand Cup in 2012, were the crème de la crème among ‘office’ teams. In 2010, following the disbanding of clubs associated with public sector undertakings for not fulfilling Asian Football Confederation (AFC) club licensing criteria, the AIFF was planning to create a league for corporate clubs. It held a preliminary meeting with 25 interested teams on 31 August 2023; however, the league is yet to materialise.
