The 2014–15 I-League (known as the Hero I-League for sponsorship reasons) was the eighth season of the I-League, the Indian professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 2007. The season began on 17 January 2015, after the conclusion of the 2014–15 Federation Cup and finished on 31 May 2015 with a title deciding match between defending champions Bengaluru and Mohun Bagan. Mohun Bagan scored a late equalising goal to win the championship by two points. It was to be their first I-League title and fourth Indian championship in total[2][3]
| Season | 2014–15 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Mohun Bagan 1st I-League title 4th Indian title |
| Relegated | Dempo |
| AFC Champions League | Mohun Bagan |
| AFC Cup | Bengaluru |
| Matches played | 110 |
| Goals scored | 280 (2.55 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Ranti Martins (East Bengal) (17 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Salgaocar 5–1 Bharat (24 May 2015) Shillong Lajong 5–1 East Bengal (30 May 2015) Sporting Goa 4–0 Pune (30 May 2015) |
| Biggest away win | Mumbai 0–6 Shillong Lajong (3 April 2015) |
| Highest scoring | Pune 5–2 Shillong Lajong (29 January 2015) Mohun Bagan 4–3 Shillong Lajong (27 February 2015) |
| Longest winning run | Bengaluru Pune Royal Wahingdoh Mumbai Mohun Bagan Sporting Goa (3 games) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Bengaluru (13 games) |
| Longest winless run | Sporting Goa (13 games) |
| Longest losing run | Salgaocar (4 games) |
| Highest attendance | 57,780 (Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal) (28 March 2015) |
| Average attendance | 5,909[1] |
← 2013–14 2015–16 → All statistics correct as of 31 May 2015. | |
Teams
The official number of teams for the new season will be eleven. After the success of the leagues first direct-entry side, Bengaluru FC, the All India Football Federation held bidding for new teams from 15 May to 2 June 2014 with cities such as Chennai and Ahmedabad in the running.[4] At the same time the federation would review the AFC Club Licensing Criteria and any club which failed to pass the criteria will be banned from entering the league.[4]
On 22 May 2014 the All India Football Federation officially announced that former I-League champions Churchill Brothers, Rangdajied United, and United S.C had been axed from the 2014–15 season for failing to pass the club licensing criteria.[5] Then, in August 2014, it was announced that the AIFF had awarded a direct-entry spot to the Kalyani Group and that they would start a team based in Pune.[6] The team was officially launched in November 2014 as Bharat FC.[7]
In terms of promotion and relegation, Mohammedan were relegated from the I-League the previous season, while Royal Wahingdoh were promoted after winning the 2014 I-League 2nd Division.[8][9] This would be Wahingdoh's first season in the I-League after remaining unbeaten through the entire 2nd Division campaign.[9]
Stadiums and locations
- Note: Table lists clubs in alphabetical order.
| Team | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Bengaluru | Sree Kanteerava Stadium | 24,000 |
| Bharat | Balewadi Sports Complex | 22,000 |
| Dempo | Fatorda Stadium | 19,800 |
| East Bengal | Salt Lake Stadium | 68,000[10] |
| Mohun Bagan | Salt Lake Stadium | 68,000[10] |
| Mumbai | Cooperage Ground | 5,000 |
| Pune | Balewadi Sports Complex | 22,000 |
| Royal Wahingdoh | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | 30,000 |
| Salgaocar | Fatorda Stadium | 19,800 |
| Shillong Lajong | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | 30,000 |
| Sporting Goa | Fatorda Stadium | 19,800 |
Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Transfers
Head coaching changes
| Team | Outgoing head coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming head coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohun Bagan |  Karim Bencherifa | Sacked | 29 April 2014[11] | Pre-season |  Sankarlal Chakraborty | 27 July 2014[12] |
| Pune |  Mike Snoei | Sacked | 30 May 2014[13] | Karim Bencherifa | 10 June 2014[14] | |
| Royal Wahingdoh | Nandakumar Singh | Unknown | 25 October 2014[15] | Santosh Kashyap | 25 October 2014[15] | |
| Bharat | New team |  Stuart Watkiss | 4 November 2014[16] | |||
| Sporting Goa |  Óscar Bruzón | Mutual Consent | 4 December 2014[17] | Mateus Costa | Unknown[18] | |
| Mohun Bagan | Sankarlal Chakraborty | Unknown | 8 December 2014[19] | Sanjoy Sen | 8 December 2014[19] | |
| East Bengal | Armando Colaco | Sacked | 19 February 2015[20] | 4th | Eelco Schattorie | 19 February 2015[21] |
| Dempo |  Arthur Papas | Mutual Consent | 2 March 2015[22] | 8th | Trevor Morgan | 3 March 2015[23] |
Foreign players
Restricting the number of foreign players strictly to four per team, including a slot for a player from AFC countries and a marquee player. A team could use four foreign players on the field during each game including at least one player from the AFC country.
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | AFC Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengaluru | John Johnson | Josh Walker |  Curtis Osano | Sean Rooney |
| Bharat |  Romuald Boco | Bobby Hassell |  Kris Bright |  Omar Jarun |
| Dempo |  Zohib Islam Amiri |  Carlos Hernández | Calum Angus | Tolgay Özbey |
| East Bengal | Leo Bertos |  Ranti Martins | Dudu Omagbemi | Milan Susak |
| Mohun Bagan |  Pierre Boya |  Sony Norde | Bello Razaq |  Katsumi Yusa |
| Mumbai |  Josimar | Chika Wali | Taisuke Matsugae | |
| Pune | Luciano Sabrosa |  Darko Nikač |  Edgar Marcelino | Ryuji Sueoka |
| Royal Wahingdoh |  Bekay Bewar | Loveday Enyinnaya |  Densill Theobald |  Kim Seng-yong |
| Salgaocar |  Douhou Pierre |  Darryl Duffy |  Francis Kasonde |  Khaled Baleid |
| Shillong Lajong | Uilliams | Penn Orji | Cornell Glen | Son Min-chol |
| Sporting Goa | Odafa Okolie | Miguel Garcia | Anthony Wolfe |  Mahmoud Amnah |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mohun Bagan (C) | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 33 | 16 | +17 | 39 | Qualification for AFC Champions League qualifying play-off |
| 2 | Bengaluru | 20 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 35 | 19 | +16 | 37 | Qualification for AFC Cup group stage[a] |
| 3 | Royal Wahingdoh | 20 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 27 | 27 | 0 | 30 | |
| 4 | East Bengal | 20 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 30 | 28 | +2 | 29[b] | |
| 5 | Pune | 20 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 24 | 26 | −2 | 29[b] | |
| 6 | Mumbai | 20 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 22 | 27 | −5 | 24[c] | |
| 7 | Salgaocar | 20 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 25 | 27 | −2 | 24[c] | |
| 8 | Sporting Goa | 20 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 22 | 27 | −5 | 23[d] | |
| 9 | Shillong Lajong | 20 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 34 | 29 | +5 | 23[d] | |
| 10 | Dempo (R) | 20 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 15 | 26 | −11 | 19 | Relegation to I-League 2nd Division |
| 11 | Bharat | 20 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 28 | −15 | 18 | [e] |
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; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Results
Season statistics
- As of 31 May 2015 [25]
Scoring
Top Indian Scorers
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thongkhosiem Haokip | Pune | 7 |
| 2 | Eugeneson Lyngdoh | Bengaluru | 6 |
| Balwant Singh | Mohun Bagan | ||
| Robin Singh | Bengaluru | ||
| Satiyasen Singh | Royal Wahingdoh | ||
| 6 | Jackichand Singh | Royal Wahingdoh | 5 |
| Thoi Singh | Bengaluru | ||
| 8 | Bikash Jairu | Salgaocar | 4 |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thongkhosiem Haokip | Pune | Shillong Lajong | 5–2 | 29 January 2015 | [26] |
| Ranti Martins 5 | East Bengal | Dempo | 5–1 | 1 March 2015 | [27] |
| Satiyasen Singh | Royal Wahingdoh | Salgaocar | 4–2 | 3 May 2015 | [28] |
| Cornell Glen | Shillong Lajong | Bharat | 3–1 | 17 May 2015 | [29] |
| Odafe Onyeka Okolie | Sporting Goa | Pune | 4–0 | 30 May 2015 | |
| Cornell Glen | Shillong Lajong | East Bengal | 5–1 | 30 May 2015 |
5 Player scored 5 goals
Discipline
Most yellow cards (7)[30]
Most red cards (2)[30]- Worst disciplinary record (2 red cards & 5 yellow cards)
Fair play
The Fair Play qualities of the participating teams and which are pertinent to the spectators will be evaluated using the FIFA Fair Play evaluation form. East Bengal led the Fair Play rankings at the end of the season.[31]
| Rank | Team | Games | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | East Bengal | 20 | 1451.1 |
2 | Royal Wahingdoh | 20 | 1450.0 |
3 | Pune | 20 | 1438.6 |
4 | Salgaocar | 20 | 1427.5 |
5 | Bharat | 20 | 1415.0 |
6 | Mumbai | 20 | 1394.3 |
7 | Shillong Lajong | 20 | 1377.5 |
8 | Bengaluru | 20 | 1367.9 |
9 | Dempo | 20 | 1342.5 |
| 10 | Mohun Bagan | 20 | 1337.9 |
| Sporting Goa | 20 | 1337.9 |
Awards
AIFF Awards
All India Football Federation awarded the following awards for the I-League season.[32]
- Best player of I-League: Jackichand Singh (Royal Wahingdoh)
- Best goalkeeper of I-League: Debjit Majumder (Mohun Bagan)
- Best defender of I-League: Bello Razaq (Mohun Bagan)
- Best midfielder of I-League: Eugeneson Lyngdoh (Bengaluru)
- Best forward of I-League: Ranti Martins (East Bengal)
- Best coach of I-League: Sanjoy Sen (Mohun Bagan)
See also
- 2014–15 Bengaluru FC season
- 2014–15 Bharat FC season
- 2014–15 Dempo S.C. season
- 2014–15 East Bengal F.C. season
- 2014–15 Mohun Bagan A.C. season
- 2014–15 Mumbai F.C. season
- 2014–15 Pune F.C. season
- 2014–15 Royal Wahingdoh F.C. season
- 2014–15 Salgaocar F.C. season
- 2014–15 Shillong Lajong F.C. season
- 2014–15 Sporting Clube de Goa season