The 2015–16 I-League was the ninth season of the I-League, the Indian professional football league, since its establishment in 2007. The season commenced on 9 January 2016, after the Indian Super League finished, and concluded on 24 April 2016.[2]
| Season | 2015–16 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Bengaluru 2nd I-League title 2nd Indian title |
| AFC Champions League | Bengaluru |
| AFC Cup | Mohun Bagan |
| Matches played | 72 |
| Goals scored | 186 (2.58 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Ranti Martins (12 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Mohun Bagan 5–0 Bengaluru (23 April 2016) |
| Biggest away win | Salgaocar 0–3 Sporting Goa (23 April 2016) |
| Highest scoring | Sporting Goa 5–2 Shillong Lajong (10 April 2016) |
| Longest winning run | 3 games Bengaluru East Bengal |
| Longest unbeaten run | 11 games Mohun Bagan |
| Longest winless run | 10 games Mumbai |
| Longest losing run | 4 games Salgaocar |
| Highest attendance | 62,342 Mohun Bagan 1–1 East Bengal (23 January 2016)[1] |
← 2014–15 2016–17 →
All statistics correct as of 24 April 2016. | |
Bengaluru won their second I-League title after winning their first title in 2013–14. The defending champions Mohun Bagan finished second. Aizawl and DSK Shivajians entered the league for the first time in their history, Aizawl through promotion from the I-League 2nd Division and DSK Shivajians through a direct-entry spot.
Teams and season Details
editAfter the 2014–15 I-League season, three-time I-League champions, Dempo, were relegated to the I-League 2nd Division.[3] Mizo club, Aizawl, were promoted from the 2nd Division earlier in May following a 4–2 victory over Chanmari.[4] DSK Shivajians were announced as the direct-entry club for this season on 12 November 2015.[5]
In August 2015, it was first reported that Pune clubs, Pune, and Bharat, the direct-entry side from the previous season, would be withdrawing from the I-League due to the lack of a "long-term vision" for the league.[6] Then, towards the end of October, it was announced that both Pune and Bharat FC had failed to compile to the AFC-licensing criteria needed to participate in the I-League.[7] On 21 November 2015, it was confirmed that Royal Wahingdoh, another debutant club from the previous season, were withdrawing from the league.[8]
Stadiums and locations
editGoa
Kolkata
Locations of the 2015–16 I-League teams
- Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
| Team | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Aizawl | Rajiv Gandhi Stadium | 20,000 |
| Bengaluru | Sree Kanteerava Stadium | 24,000 |
| DSK Shivajians | Balewadi Sports Complex | 22,000 |
| East Bengal | Salt Lake Stadium | 68,000 |
| Kanchenjunga Stadium | 35,000 | |
| Mohun Bagan | Salt Lake Stadium | 68,000 |
| Barasat Stadium | 22,000 | |
| Mumbai | Cooperage Ground | 5,000 |
| Salgaocar | Tilak Maidan Stadium | 12,000 |
| Shillong Lajong | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | 30,000 |
| Sporting Goa | Fatorda Stadium | 19,500 |
Personnel and kits
edit| Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit Sponsor | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aizawl | Vamos | North East Consultancy Services | ||
| Bengaluru | Puma | JSW | ||
| DSK Shivajians | Nivia | DSK Group | ||
| East Bengal | Shiv Naresh | Kingfisher | ||
| Mohun Bagan | Shiv Naresh | None | ||
| Mumbai | Nivia | Playwin | ||
| Salgaocar | Shiv Naresh | Salgaocar | ||
| Shillong Lajong | Adidas | Gionee | ||
| Sporting Goa | None | Models |
Head coaching changes
edit| Team | Outgoing head coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming head coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Bengal | Mutual consent | 19 June 2015 | Pre-season | 19 June 2015[9] | ||
| Salgaocar | 26 June 2015 | 26 June 2015[10] | ||||
| Aizawl | 20 August 2015 | 20 August 2015 | ||||
| DSK Shivajians | New club | 20 August 2015 | ||||
| Salgaocar | Mutual consent | 29 January 2016[11] | 9th | 29 January 2016[12] | ||
| Aizawl | Sacked | 7 February 2016[13] | 7th | 7 February 2016[13] | ||
| East Bengal | Resigned | 11 April 2016[14] | 3rd | 13 April 2016[15] | ||
Transfers
editForeign players
editRestricting the number of foreign players strictly to Five per team. A team could use Four foreign players on the field each game.
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Asian Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aizawl | ||||
| Bengaluru | ||||
| DSK Shivajians | ||||
| East Bengal | ||||
| Mohun Bagan | ||||
| Mumbai | ||||
| Salgaocar | ||||
| Shillong Lajong | ||||
| Sporting Goa |
League table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bengaluru (C) | 16 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 24 | 17 | +7 | 32 | Qualification to Champions League qualifying play-off |
| 2 | Mohun Bagan | 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 32 | 16 | +16 | 30 | Qualification to AFC Cup qualifying play-off[a] |
| 3 | East Bengal | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 22 | 18 | +4 | 25 | |
| 4 | Sporting Goa | 16 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 24 | 20 | +4 | 22 | Withdrew[b] |
| 5 | Mumbai | 16 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 20 | 19 | +1 | 19 | |
| 6 | Shillong Lajong | 16 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 23 | −9 | 18 | |
| 7 | Salgaocar[c] | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 19 | 27 | −8 | 16 | Withdrew[b] |
| 8 | Aizawl[d] | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 21 | −6 | 16 | |
| 9 | DSK Shivajians[e] | 16 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 16 | 25 | −9 | 15 |
Source: I-League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored; 6) play-off match
(C) Champions
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored; 6) play-off match
(C) Champions
Notes:
- ^ Mohun Bagan qualified for the 2017 AFC Cup by winning the 2015–16 Federation Cup.
- ^ a b Sporting Goa and Salgaocar withdrew from I-League.[16]
- ^ Salgaocar ahead on head-to-head record with a 1–1 draw and 1–0 win over Aizawl over the two legs.
- ^ Aizawl were supposed to be relegated, but reinstated for 2016–17 season.[17]
- ^ DSK Shivajians were given relegation immunity for three years.[18]
Result table
editSeason statistics
edit- As of 24 April 2016[19]
Top scorersedit
|
Top Indian scorersedit
|
Hat-tricks
edit| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Bengal | Shillong Lajong | 4–0 | 9 February 2016 | [20] | |
| Salgaocar | DSK Shivajians | 3–2 | 14 February 2016 | [21] | |
| East Bengal | Aizawl | 3–2 | 12 March 2016 | [22] |
Awards
editAIFF Awards
editAll India Football Federation awarded the following awards for the I-League season.[23]
- Best player of I-League: Sony Norde (Mohun Bagan)
- Best goalkeeper of I-League: Amrinder Singh (Bengaluru)
- Best defender of I-League: John Johnson (Bengaluru)
- Best midfielder of I-League: Eugeneson Lyngdoh (Bengaluru)
- Best forward of I-League: Ranti Martins (East Bengal)
- Best coach of I-League: Ashley Westwood (Bengaluru)
- Best organizer of I-League: Bengaluru
References
edit- ^ "I-League: Mohun Bagan hold East Bengal to a 1–1 draw in derby". PTI.
- ^ "I-League to start on January 9, Goan teams yet to ascertain home grounds". Navhind Times. 21 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ "Dempo SC relegated after losing to Salgaocar". The Times of India. 30 May 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ Jitendran, Nikhil (7 May 2015). "Aizawl FC become Mizoram's inaugural representatives in the I-League". Goal.com. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ Jitendran, Nikhil (13 November 2015). "DSK Shivajians will fly the flag for Pune this season". Goal.com. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ "I-League clubs Pune, Bharat FC planning to disband first team". The Indian Express. 19 August 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ "Pune FC, Bharat FC fail licensing criteria". The Times of India. 28 October 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ "Royal Wahingdoh FC pull out of I-League, 3rd club to do so this year". IBN Live. 21 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ Bera, Kaustav (19 June 2015). "East Bengal announce Biswajit Bhattacharya as Head Coach for the 2015–16 season". Goal.com. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ "Malky Thomson takes over as Salgaocar FC head coach". Goal.com. 26 June 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ "Salgaocar part ways with Malky Thomson". Goal.com. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- ^ "Kashyap takes charge of Salgaocar". The Times of India. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- ^ a b "Aizawl FC part ways with Manuel Retamero, Jahar Das appointed as new head coach". Goal.com. 7 February 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
- ^ "I-League: East Bengal coach Biswajit Bhattacharya resigns, search for new coach begins". Goal.com. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
- ^ "East Bengal appoint Trevor Morgan as head coach, gaffer to arrive in Kolkata by weekend". Goal.com. 13 April 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ "Salgaocar FC, Sporting Clube de Goa withdraw from I-League". The Indian Express. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
- ^ Bilgi, Sumedh (26 September 2016). "Aizawl FC reinstated in the I-League". Goal.com. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ "DSK Shivajians not guaranteed an ISL Berth". goal.com. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ^ "Players – I-League". soccerway. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ^ "I-League: East Bengal 4–0 Shillong Lajong: Ranti Martins hat-trick sends Red and Golds top of the table". 9 February 2016.
- ^ "Top and Flop: Sporting Clube de Goa 3–2 Mumbai FC". 15 February 2016.
- ^ "I-League: Aizawl FC 2–3 East Bengal: Ranti Martins' hat-trick secures victory for stuttering Kolkatans". 12 March 2016.
- ^ "Individual awards of Hero I-League 2015–16". AIFF.