Indian Super League side Bengaluru FC have been suspended from the Under-13 Youth I-League on account of age fudging, the All India Football Federation’s Disciplinary Committee decided in a meeting at Dwarka House on Wednesday.
Sources within the AIFF have confirmed that the defending Federation Cup champions weren’t the only ones to be banned from this season’s youth league. Ozone FC and Jammu United have also been found guilty of the same offence and have been disqualified for this season’s U-15 I-League.
When contact, the AIFF Disciplinary Committee refused to comment on the three suspensions handed out.
Ozone were banned from last year’s U-16 I-League final tournament for fielding an ineligible player and this is the second consecutive year in which they’ve been handed a ban for one of the youth leagues.
Last season witnessed two more clubs banned from age group leagues as Conscient FC of Gurugram were banned from the U-16 I-League while Mohun Bagan were pulled up for an age-related offence in the U-18 I-League.
Ozone had even got a court order from the Karnataka High Court granting them a stay against the suspension. They eventually lost the final to Minerva Punjab.