ISL semis fallout: Kerala Blasters ‘pauses’ women’s team

Kerala Blasters disbanded their women’s team because of the financial sanctions imposed by All India Football Federation (AIFF) for refusing to continue the Indian Super League semi-final against Bengaluru FC in March as reason.

India goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan criticised the move on Twitter. “So, the men’s team gets a fine for what they did and the money comes from the women’s team budget by shutting it down? Great, that’s how women’s football will develop in India. Horrible!,” she said.

In a statement released on Tuesday, three days after AIFF rejected Kerala Blasters’ appeal on the ₹4 crore fine for walking off the pitch against Bengaluru FC protesting against a goal scored by Sunil Chhetri, the club announced a “temporary pause of our Women’s Team (sic).”

“While we respect the authority and decisions of the federation, we cannot deny our disappointment at the impact it is likely to have across various functions of our Club (sic),” the statement said. It also pointed out that the club is awaiting further sanctions from ISL “that are only likely to augment the financial impact”.

Formed in 2022, Kerala Blasters’ women’s team played in Kerala Women’s League last term, finishing third. Gokulam Kerala finished on top of the standings after the nine-game league phase with 27 points. Lords FA and Kerala Blasters ended on 22 points but Kerala Blasters missed out the final because of an inferior goal difference. Lords FA beat Gokulam Kerala 5-2 in the final. Gokulam Kerala bounced back to win the 2022-23 Indian Women’s League for the third straight season.