 | |||
| Full name | Inter Kashi Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Short name | IKFC | ||
| Founded | 29 June 2023; 12 months ago (2023-06-29) | ||
| Ground | Ekana Football Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 2,000 | ||
| Owner | RDB Group of Companies | ||
| Chairman | Vinod Dugar | ||
| Head coach | Carlos Santamarina | ||
| League | I-League | ||
| 2023–24 | I-League, 4th of 13 | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
| |||
 Current season | |||
Inter Kashi Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The club currently competes in the I-League, the second tier league of the Indian football league system.[1][2] It is the first professional club from the state of Uttar Pradesh to play in a national level league of the country.[3][4]
The club is in collaboration with Spanish club Atlético Madrid and Andorran clubs Inter Escaldes and FC Andorra.[1][5]
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.[6] 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.[7][8] 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.[9]
The club also announced creation of the Atlético de Bharat Academy for the development of grassroots football in the state.[10] 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.[11] English footballer Peter Hartley was the first player signed by the club.[12]
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.[13] Their first win came against Namdhari on 6 November 2023.[14] On 21st November, Inter Kashi played their first I-League home match against Mohammedan in the Ekana Football StadiuminLucknow.[15]
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 temple of Varanasi.[16]
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | Back sponsor | Chest sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–present[17] | SIX5SIX | Cello | Uttar Pradesh Tourism | RDB Group |
| Nahar Group |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Carlos Santamarina
|
| Assistant coaches | Javier Broch
|
 Arata Izumi
|
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Owner | RDB Group
|
| Chairman | Vinod Dugar
|
| Chief Operations Officer | Bhaskar Basu
|
| Season | League | Tier | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | I-League | II | 4th |
Association football
