Inter Kashi FC
Association football club in India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Inter Kashi Football Club, commonly referred to as Inter Kashi, is an Indian professional football club based in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The club currently competes in the Indian Super League (ISL), the top tier of the Indian football league system, after gaining promotion from the I-League in the 2024-25 season.[3][4][5][6]
Kaashee ke Yoddhas (Warriors of Kashi)
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| Full name | Inter Kashi Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Inter Kaashee ke Yoddhas (Warriors of Kashi) | |||
| Short name | IKA, IKFC, KSHI | |||
| Founded | 29 June 2023[1] | |||
| Ground | Ekana Football Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 2,000 | |||
| Owner | RDB Group of Companies[2] | |||
| Chairman | Vinod Dugar | |||
| Head coach | Antonio López | |||
| League | Indian Super League | |||
| 2024–25 | I-League, 1st of 12 (promoted) | |||
| Website | interkashi.com | |||
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Founded in 2023, it is the first professional club from the state of Uttar Pradesh to compete in a national-level league.[7][8] Inter Kashi is affiliated with the Spanish club Atlético Madrid and the Andorran clubs Inter Club d'Escaldes and FC Andorra.[5][2][9]
Inter Kashi was also the official Event App Sponsor and Event Partner of Soccerex Miami on 14 November 2024 marking their leap in CONCACAF footballing sector after getting associated with multiple UEFA clubs.[5][10][11][12]
The club finished fourth in the 2023–24 I-League.[13] They later finished as runners-up in the 2024–25 I-League; however, following a series of appeals before the AIFF Appeal Committee and the Court of Arbitration for Sports, Inter Kashi were declared champions on 18 July 2025 and were promoted to the Indian Super League .[14][15]
History
In May 2023, the All India Football Federation, the governing body of football in India, announced they would accept bids for new clubs to join 2023–24 I-League season onwards.[16] On 29 June 2023, it was announced that agreement for the Varanasi franchise had been reached between Kolkata-based RDB Group of Companies and European clubs Atlético Madrid and Inter Escaldes.[17][18] FC Andorra has an association with Inter Escaldes, but does not have any direct role with Inter Kashi. The moniker of "Inter" was added because of the tie up with Inter Escaldes.[19]
The club also announced creation of the Atlético de Bharat Academy for the development of grassroots football in the state.[20] Spaniard Carlos Santamarina was chosen as the first head coach of the club, while Javier Broch and Arata Izumi were roped in as assistant coach.[21] English footballer Peter Hartley was the first player signed by the club.[22]
On 28 October 2023, Inter Kashi played their first ever official match against Gokulam Kerala in the I-League. Edmund Lalrindika scored the club's first goal, and Mohammed Asif Khan scored the equalizer to earn the maiden point in a 2–2 draw.[23] Their first win came against Namdhari on 6 November 2023.[24] On 21 November, Inter Kashi played their first I-League home match against Mohammedan in the Ekana Football Stadium in Lucknow.[25] In October 2024, Inter Kashi's two players Sachu Siby and Harmanpreet Singh joined Primera Divisió outfit Inter Club d'Escaldes but Sachu Siby was not able to pursue it because of visa restrictions.[26]
The second season for them remains controversial and is also their first season playing out of Uttar Pradesh after their previous home venue Ekana Football Stadium was declared unfit to play and they had to shift to Kalyani Stadium in Nadia.[27][28] On 22nd November 2024, they played their first match on their new home ground which also remained the league opener match against SC Bengaluru.[29] Inter Kashi proposed to shift their home stadium from Kalyani Stadium, Nadia to Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati till their new stadium in Varanasi gets built.[30]
After getting promoted from the I-league, Inter Kashi played their first match of the 2025-26 Indian Super League season on 14 February 2026 against FC Goa, which they drew 1-1.[31]
2024-25 season controversy
The second season of Inter Kashi remained controversial while having remarks from various members of Indian football, and allegations by Delhi FC's recent owner Ranjit Bajaj, who also owns Minerva Academy.[32] Inter Kashi appealed against Namdhari FC playing an ineligible player, leading to the AIFF Disciplinary Committee voiding the match and awarded 3 points to Inter Kashi. However, this order was later stayed by the order of AIFF Appeal Committee.[33][34]
Churchill Alemao, the owner of Churchill Brothers, accused Inter Kashi and the AIFF of pre-match disruptions among the controversial row.[35] Inter Kashi on the other hand raised serious concerns regarding disparity and clarity from the AIFF.[36][37]
The club also raised concerns regarding rules and mismanagement that happened towards them in the build-up to the match between the two teams, which was set to be a season-decider. The Varanasi-based club made allegations against Churchill Brothers for not letting them practice on the match venue ground the day before the match, which is mandated the in AIFF rule book.[38] This match remained so controversial that the AIFF had to invite referees to officiate the match from Nepal.[39]
The eventual match saw eight yellow cards, one red card and a controversial goal for Churchill, which Kashi claimed to be a handball but was given by the referees.[40][41][42] Later, Namdhari FC also appealed against Inter Kashi for breaking foreigner registration rules in the I-League, relating to the re-registration of Spanish forward Mario Barco.[43]
After the season ended, the AIFF eventually declared Churchill Brothers as winners, and Inter Kashi as runners-up.[14] In response, on 27 April 2025, Inter Kashi went to CAS against the AIFF Appeals Committee's decision to award the I-League title to Churchill Brothers. This decision was made after the AIFF Appeals Committee reversed an earlier decision that awarded the title to Inter Kashi. CAS proceeded to issue an order staying the AIFF Appeals Committee's decision. The court also issued an order to prevent AIFF from declaring a winner, or holding a medal ceremony until the CAS arbitration is concluded.[44]
However, the AIFF still conducted the ceremony disregarding CAS's decision, and awarded the trophy and medals to Churchill's players. The ceremony was also conducted without the presence of State Football Association in the ceremony.[45] This action drew criticism from the Goa Football Association, and raised questions about the AIFF's credibility and its relationship with state associations.[46]
The AIFF later acknowledged the CAS stay order and asked Churchill Brothers to return the trophy.[47] The AIFF's decision was eventually overturned by a CAS ruling on 18 July 2025, which crowned Inter Kashi champions of the I-League 2024-25.[48]
Stadium
On January 2026, Inter Kashi signed a MoU with C.M. Anglo Bengali College to build a 5,500 capacity AFC-rated dedicated football stadium at the cost of ₹60 crore.[49][50][51]
Inter Kashi FC (women)
The women team, Inter Kashi FC (women) took part in 2024–25 Indian Women's League 2 as marking their debut season in female football.[52]
Junior section
Inter Kashi fielded their junior section in Under 17 2024–25 Indian Youth League and Under 13 Sub Junior Youth League.
Under 17
The Under 17 side finished last in their debut season of Indian Youth League winning a single match against SKM Sporting Foundation. It was their first season in any league playing in their home city, Varanasi on BLW Railways Ground after their birth.[53]
Current Staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach & scout |  Deepak Deshwal |
Coaching history
- As of 1 April 2025
Under 13
The Under 13 side is playing their matches for their debut league in Sub Junior Youth League on a neutral venue on Aghornath Park Stadium in Kalna.[56] In their debut match of their debut season, they defeated Odisha FC with an outstanding 5-1 win.[57]
Current Staff
|
Position |
Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Bimlesh Yadav |
Coaching history
- As of 1 April 2025
Atlético de Bharat Academy
The club announced the opening of Atlético de Bharat Residential Academy in Sant Atulanand Convent School with the partnership of Dr. Vandana Singh - Director of Sant Atulanand Convent School for U13, U15 and U17 batch in Varanasi on 25th March 2025.[59] The club has already hosted a Futsal tournament Futsal For All Day on 27 August 2024 with partnership of Sant Atulanand Convent School, Uttar Pradesh Football Sangh and All India Football Federation in their academy location with 21 teams competing across 5 categories.[60][61] The club also hosted Inter Kashi Purnima Masik Pratiyogita 2024 in the same venue on 17 September 2024 as a tournament where 120 children from two different NGOs that are Meera Foundation and Sewa Samarpan Sansthan participated.[62]
The club with the opening announcement also announced Pan-India trials for their academy happening in 10 states and 1 union territory.[63] The home state, Uttar Pradesh witnessed trials in 11 cities. The club announced partnership with different clubs and venue partners for different trials in different cities.[64]
Club crest and kits
Crest
In the Inter Kashi's crest, Tripundra (three horizontal lines on the top of the crest) resembles Lord Shiva's threefold power of will (icchāśakti), knowledge (jñānaśakti), and action (kriyāśakti). The graphical image below the club name on the crest portraits Manikarnika Ghat.[65]
Their third kit was released on 18 January 2025 as a tribute to Maha Kumbh held on Prayagraj.[66]
Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | Back sponsor | Chest sponsor | Sleeves sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | SIX5SIX | Cello | Uttar Pradesh Tourism | RDB Group | Cello |
| 2024–25 | Hummel | UCO Bank | IndiaShoppe | ||
| 2025–26 | InsureFirst |
Players
First-team squad
- As of 13 February 2026
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Staff and management
Current staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Antonio López Habas[67] |
| Assistant coach | Carlos Fonseca[68] |
| Strength & conditioning coach | Alberto Santana[69] |
| Goalkeeping coach | Fernando Llopis [70] |
| Luis García | |
| Abhijit Mondal[71] | |
| Team manager | Abdeali Fatema Deesawala |
| Media manager | Bhaswar Dey |
Management
Records and statistics
Season by season
Correct as the end of the 2024–25 season.
| Season | League | Super Cup | Durand Cup | Top scorer(s) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Pos | Player(s) | Goals | |||
| 2023–24 | I-League | 24 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 47 | 41 | 41 | 4th | Group stage | — | Mario Barco |
12 |
| 2024–25 | I-League ↑ | 22 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 42 | 31 | 42 | 1st | Quarter-finals | Group stage |  Nikola Stojanović |
9 |
| 2025–26 | ISL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3rd | Group stage | DNP | TBD | TBD |
Coaching history
- As of 28 February 2026
| Name | Nationality | From | To | P | W | D | L | Win% | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Santamarina | Spain |
7 July 2023 | 31 May 2024 | 26 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 38.46 | [76] |
| Antonio López | Spain |
25 July 2024 | Present | 25 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 52.00 | [77] |
| Arata Izumi (caretaker)[a] | India |
27 July 2024 | 31 August 2024 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 33.33 | [78] |
| Carlos Fonseca (caretaker)[b] | Spain |
23 April 2025 | 27 April 2025 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | [79] |
| Abhijit Mondal (caretaker)[c] | India |
26 October 2025 | 1 November 2025 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.00 | [80] |
Top scorers
- As of 14 February 2026
Bold denotes players still playing for Inter Kashi.
| # | Player | Period | I-League / ISL | Super Cup | Durand Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mario Barco |
2023– | 16 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| 2 | Nikola Stojanović |
2024–2025 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 11 |
| 3 | Edmund Lalrindika |
2023–2025 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| 4 | Jordan Lamela |
2023–24 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
 Domi Berlanga |
2024–2025 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| 6 | Mohammed Asif Khan |
2023-2025 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Gyamar Nikum |
2023–2024 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| Tomba Singh Haobam |
2023– | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| 9 | Muhammad Ajsal |
2023–2024 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 | Prasanth K |
2025– | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
 Joni Kauko |
2024–2025 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| Sumeet Passi |
2023– | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| Matija Babović |
2025 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
Club captains
| Period | Name |
|---|---|
| 2023–2024 | Arindam Bhattacharya |
| 2024– | Sumeet Passi |
Honours
Notable players
The following Inter Kashi players have been capped at senior/youth international level. Years in brackets indicate their spells at the club.
Sehnaj Singh (2023)[81][82]
Fran Gómez (2023–2024)[83]- Jackichand Singh (2023–2024)[84][85]
- Deepak Devrani (2023–2024)[86]
- Lalruatthara (2023–2024)[87][88]
- Sandip Mandi (2023–)[89][90]
- Arindam Bhattacharya (2023–2026)[78]
- Edmund Lalrindika (2023–2025)[91][92]
- Sumeet Passi (2023–)[93][94]
Gianni dos Santos (2024)[95]- Harmanpreet Singh (2024-2026)[78]
Joni Kauko (2024–2025)[96][97]- Narayan Das (2024–2025)[98][99]
- Sarthak Golui (2024–2025)[100][99]
Matija Babović (2025–2026)[101]
Affiliated clubs
The following clubs are affiliated with Inter Kashi:
See also
Notes
- In charge of 2024 Durand Cup
- In charge of 2025 AIFF Super Cup
- In charge of 2025–26 AIFF Super Cup
