On 8 March, Jamshedpur FC and Mumbai City FC played out a 1-1 draw in the Indian Super League (ISL) but that outcome has been revised to 3-0 in favour of MCFC. Jamshedpur FC have been forced into forfeiting the single point they picked up after 90 minutes.

What happened?

In the 82nd minute of the fixture, Daniel Chima Chukwu was shown a red card. After the sending off, Jamshedpur coach Khalid Jamil took off Imran Khan and put on Alen Stevanovic. It brought the number of foreigners on the field to four – which is in breach of ISL rules.

ISL’s Rule 4.2.10 states that a minimum of seven Indians should be on the field at all times, unless one of them is sent off.

What is Rule 4.2.10?

As per the ISL rules, “Each club shall ensure that at least seven (7) Domestic Players are fielded and playing on the field at all times throughout each match, except where any such domestic player(s) is dismissed as a result of him receiving a red card in the match. Failure to comply with this rule will result in a sanction of 3-0 loss for the defaulter club in the particular match unless the opposing team was winning/has won the match by a higher score, in which case the result on the field will be upheld.”

As a result, the outcome has been revised. Instead of 1-1, it is now a win for Mumbai City FC and all three points.

Has this happened before?

Last year in the I-League, Churchill Brothers were awarded a 3-0 win against Real Kashmir, who didn’t have the stipulated number of Asian players on the field, despite having their full quota of foreigners on it. AIFF had initially ruled there was no undue advantage gained by Churchill, but on appeal, the Goan club were awarded a 3-0 win.

What did ISL say in their statement?

• Mumbai City FC lodged a formal protest with the AIFF on March 8th in Jamshedpur, citing Jamshedpur FC’s failure to field a minimum of 7 domestic players on the pitch at all times during their match.

• After reviewing the said protest in compliance with the ISL 2023-24 League Rules, the AIFF Disciplinary Committee has sided with Mumbai City FC in their decision.

• Basis this judgement, the Match shall result in a forfeiture for Jamshedpur FC, with the revised scoreline being a 0-3 loss to them.

How does this change the ISL table?

As a result, Mumbai City have solidified their lead at the top of the standings with two more points. They have 41 points from 19 games played. Meanwhile, Jamshedpur FC sit eighth in the points table with 20 points from 19 matches. If they had one more point and one more goal to their tally, they would have been sixth.