2016–17 I-League 2nd Division

The 2016–17 I-League 2nd Division was the tenth season of the I-League 2nd Division, the second-tier Indian league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 2008. The season began on 21 January 2017 and featured 12 teams which was divided into three groups of four teams each.^[1] NEROCA won the title and secured the promotion to I-League. 12 teams participated in the league.

I-League 2nd Division

Season	2016–17
Champions	NEROCA
Promoted	NEROCA
Matches played	65
Goals scored	160 (2.46 per match)
Top goalscorer	Odafa Okolie Felix Chidi Odili 9 goals
← 2015–16 2017–18 →

Teams

Lonestar Kashmir
Real Kashmir

Kolkata

Delhi

NEROCA

Ozone

Fateh Hyderabad

Pride

Kenkre

Kashmir

Kolkata teams
Mohammedan
Southern Samity

Delhi teams
Delhi United
Hindustan
Sudeva Moonlight

Locations of the 2016–17 I-League teams 2nd Division

Stadiums and locations

Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.

Team	Location	Stadium	Capacity
Delhi United	New Delhi, Delhi	Ambedkar Stadium	20,000
Fateh Hyderabad	Hyderabad, Telangana	Gachibowli Athletic Stadium	30,000
Hindustan	New Delhi, Delhi	Thyagaraj Sports Complex	5,000
Kenkre	Mumbai, Maharastra	Cooperage Ground	5,000
Lonestar Kashmir	Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir	Polo Ground	10,000
Mohammedan	Kolkata, West Bengal	Mohammedan Sporting Ground	15,000
NEROCA	Imphal, Manipur	Khuman Lampak Main Stadium	30,000
Ozone	Bangalore, Karnataka	Bangalore Football Stadium	8,400
Pride Sports	Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh	Dr. Rajendra Prasad Football Stadium	10,000
Real Kashmir	Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir	Bakshi Stadium	30,000
Southern Samity	Kolkata, West Bengal	Barasat Stadium	22,000
Sudeva Moonlight	New Delhi, Delhi	Ambedkar Stadium	20,000

Personnel and kits

Team	Manager	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor
Delhi United	Clebson Duarte Da Silva	Nivia	Aakash Healthcare
Fateh Hyderabad	ES Shyam	T10 Sports	None
Hindustan	Abhijoy basu	Cosco	Hero
Kenkre	Ekendra Singh	Cosco	Customers
Lonestar Kashmir	Fahd Khan	None	Lonestar
Mohammedan	Ranjan Chowdhury	Kaizen Sports	None
NEROCA	Gift Raikhan	None	Classic group of hotels
Ozone	Bert Zuurman	None	Ozone Group
Pride Sports	Paulo Pedro	None	None
Real Kashmir	David Robertson	None	Mentor
Southern Samity	Amit Sen	None	None
Sudeva Moonlight	Carlton Chapman	None	United Nations

Foreign players

Restricting the number of foreign players strictly to three per team. A team could use two foreign players on the field each game.

Club	Player 1	Player 2	Player 3	Released
Delhi United	Stephen Harry	Chibueze Jonathon	Hamidullah Nesar Ahmed	Mohammed Adeola Hassan
Fateh Hyderabad	Adam Mitter	Luis Carlos Santos	Saihou Jagne	Bruno Bryan
Hindustan	Adehin Nelson	—	—	—
Kenkre	Yao Kouassi Bernard	Boubacar Keita	Korhena A Boakai	Spenser Johnson
Lonestar Kashmir	Lancine Toure[A]	Alexandre Tabillon [B]	—
Mohammedan	Leonce Dodoz	Lancine Toure	Alexandre Tabillon	—
NEROCA	Varney Kallon	Emmanuel Chinedu	Felix Chidi Odili	—
Ozone	Cornell Glen	Chika Wali	Roby Norales	—
Pride Sports	—	—	—	—
Real Kashmir	Lamine Tamba	Lago Bei	—	—
Southern Samity	Ogba Kalu Nnanna	Agwu Richard	Odafa Okolie	Daniel Bedemi
Sudeva Moonlight	Peterson Joseph	Jason Starr	—	—

Preliminary round

Tiebreakers

The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams are equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following criteria are applied in the order given to determine the rankings: Greater number of points obtained in the matches between the Teams concerned Goal difference resulting from the matches between the Teams concerned Greater number of goals scored in the matches between the Teams concerned Goal difference in all the matches Greater number of goals scored in all the matches Drawing of lots

Group A

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Lonestar Kashmir	6	3	1	2	6	3	+3	10	Qualification to Final Round
2	Delhi United	6	2	3	1	5	4	+1	9
3	Real Kashmir	6	3	0	3	7	8	−1	9
4	Sudeva Moonlight	6	1	2	3	6	9	−3	5

Source: i-league.org

Fixtures and results

Delhi United v Real Kashmir

28 January 2017	Delhi United	2–0	Real Kashmir	Delhi
17:30 IST	Stephen Harry 39' Thopi 68'	Report		Stadium: Ambedkar Stadium Attendance: 250 Referee: R. Palmson Moses Raj

Sudeva Moonlight v Lonestar Kashmir

29 January 2017	Sudeva Moonlight	0–2	Lonestar Kashmir	Delhi
15:00 IST		Report	Bilal Ahmad 24' Aakif Javed 89'	Stadium: Ambedkar Stadium Attendance: 250 Referee: Senthil Nathan S.

Delhi United v Lonestar Kashmir

2 February 2017	Delhi United	0–0	Lonestar Kashmir	Delhi
17:30 IST		Report		Stadium: Ambedkar Stadium Attendance: 200 Referee: Akash Jackson Routh

Sudeva Moonlight v Real Kashmir

4 February 2017	Sudeva Moonlight	4–3	Real Kashmir	Delhi
15:00 IST	Syed Shoaib Ahmed 33', 73' Franko Paul 45' Konthoujam James Singh 76' (o.g.)	Report	Prem Kumar 8', 89' Lago Dogbo Bei 46'	Stadium: Ambedkar Stadium Attendance: 100 Referee: Gibin Baby Kalarickal

Delhi United v Sudeva Moonlight

8 February 2017	Delhi United	0–0	Sudeva Moonlight	Delhi
19:00 IST		Report		Stadium: Ambedkar Stadium Attendance: 500 Referee: Williams Joy Koshy

Sudeva Moonlight v Delhi United

12 February 2017	Sudeva Moonlight	1–1	Delhi United	Delhi
15:00 IST	Gopi Kannan 86'	Report	Stephen Harry 21'	Stadium: Ambedkar Stadium Attendance: 200 Referee: Rahul Kumar Gupta

Lonestar Kashmir v Real Kashmir

18 February 2017	Lonestar Kashmir	0–1	Real Kashmir	Srinagar
14:15 IST		Report	Lago Dogbo Bei 67'	Stadium: Synthetic Turf Ground Attendance: 500 Referee: Akash Jackson Routh

Real Kashmir v Lonestar Kashmir

22 February 2017	Real Kashmir	1–0	Lonestar Kashmir	Srinagar
14:15 IST	Lago Dogbo Bei 75'	Report		Stadium: Synthetic Turf Ground Attendance: 800 Referee: Paramanand Jaganath Mandrekar

Real Kashmir v Sudeva Moonlight

2 March 2017	Real Kashmir	1–0	Sudeva Moonlight	Delhi
11:00 IST	Prem Singh 66'	Report		Stadium: Ambedkar Stadium Attendance: 500 Referee: Rosario Fernandez

Lonestar Kashmir v Delhi United

2 March 2017	Lonestar Kashmir	2–0	Delhi United	Delhi
15:00 IST	Aakif Javaid 24', 90'	Report		Stadium: Ambedkar Stadium Attendance: 500 Referee: PRIYOBARTA SINGH LANGPOKLAKPAM

Real Kashmir v Delhi United

4 March 2017	Real Kashmir	1–2	Delhi United	Delhi
15:00 IST	Lago Dogbo Bei 90+1'	Report	Zenithgenius Mashangva 24' Stephen Harry Emeneka 45+2'	Stadium: Ambedkar Stadium Attendance: 500 Referee: Tanmoy Dhar

Lonestar Kashmir v Sudeva Moonlight

4 March 2017	Lonestar Kashmir	2–1	Sudeva Moonlight	Delhi
15:00 IST	Aakif Javaid 58' Harpreet Singh 63' (pen.)	Report	Johny Muanpuia 68'	Stadium: Sudeva Football Ground Attendance: 50 Referee: Rabichandra Singh Irengbam

Group B

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	NEROCA	6	4	1	1	5	3	+2	13	Qualification to Final Round
2	Southern Samity	6	4	0	2	10	4	+6	12
3	Mohammedan	6	3	1	2	10	6	+4	10
4	Hindustan	6	0	0	6	3	15	−12	0

Source: i-league.org

Fixtures and results

Mohammedan v Southern Samity

21 January 2017	Mohammedan	0–2	Southern Samity	Kolkata
14:00 IST		Report	Biswas 31' A. Singh 71'	Stadium: Barasat Stadium Attendance: 894 Referee: Rabichandra Singh Irengbam

Hindustan v NEROCA

22 January 2017	Hindustan	0–1	NEROCA	Delhi
19:00 IST		Report	Pritham 47'	Stadium: Thyagaraj Sports Complex Attendance: 1,750 Referee: Senthil Nathan S.

Mohammedan v NEROCA

27 January 2017	Mohammedan	2–0	NEROCA	Kolkata
14:00 IST	Manvir Singh 12' Vanlal Biaa 79'	Report		Stadium: Barasat Stadium Attendance: 300 Referee: Raktim Saha

Southern Samity v Hindustan

28 January 2017	Southern Samity	3–0	Hindustan	Kolkata
14:00 IST	Ronald Singh 10' B. Singh 28' Sayan Dutta 70'	Report		Stadium: Barasat Stadium Attendance: 133 Referee: Akash Jackson Routh

NEROCA v Southern Samity

4 February 2017	NEROCA	1–0	Southern Samity	Manipur
13:30 IST	Thangjam 77'	Report		Stadium: Khuman Lampak Attendance: 7,500

Hindustan v Mohammedan

5 February 2017	Hindustan	0–1	Mohammedan	Delhi
11:00 IST		Report	Vanlalbia 44'	Stadium: Ambedkar Stadium Attendance: 677 Referee: R. Palmson Moses Raj

Southern Samity v Mohammedan

11 February 2017	Southern Samity	2–0	Mohammedan	Kolkata
14:00 IST		Report	Nnanna 41' Lancine Toure 41' (o.g.)	Stadium: Barasat Stadium Attendance: 2,500 Referee: Raktim Saha

NEROCA v Hindustan

12 February 2017	NEROCA	1–0	Hindustan	Imphal
13:30 IST	Felix 90+2' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Khuman Lampak Main Stadium Attendance: 9,000 Referee: T. H. Arun Kumar

Mohammedan v Hindustan

17 February 2017	Mohammedan	6–1	Hindustan	Kolkata
14:00 IST	Vasum 32' Vallal Biaa 39', 42' Manvir Singh 49' Hembram 75' Sk Faiaz 86'	Report	Kushant Chauhan 8'	Stadium: Barasat Stadium Attendance: 300 Referee: Crystal John

Southern Samity v NEROCA

18 February 2017	Southern Samity	0–1	NEROCA	Kolkata
14:00 IST		Report	David Lalbiakzara 16'	Stadium: Barasat Stadium Attendance: 200 Referee: R. Palmson Moses Raj

Hindustan v Southern Samity

25 February 2017	Hindustan	2–3	Southern Samity	Delhi
14:00 IST	Tushar Chaudhary 38' Kislay Singh Sajwan 90' (pen.)	Report	Biswas 30' Kalu 45' Moirangthem Basanta Singh 79'	Stadium: Ambedkar Stadium Attendance: 200 Referee: Khamruddin Mohammed Avez

NEROCA v Mohammedan

25 February 2017	NEROCA	1–1	Mohammedan	Imphal
14:00 IST	Ejiogu Emmanuel Chinedu 29'	Report	Dodoz 84'	Stadium: Khuman Lampak Main Stadium Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Jibon Chandra Gogoi

Group C

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Fateh Hyderabad[a]	6	3	3	0	7	1	+6	12	Qualification to Final Round
2	Kenkre	6	3	2	1	7	4	+3	11
3	Ozone	6	3	1	2	13	8	+5	10
4	Pride Sports	6	0	0	6	2	16	−14	0

Source: i-league.org
Notes:

1. Pride Sports boycotted the match against Fateh Hyderabad, hence Fateh Hyderabad were awarded 0–3 win

Fixtures and results

Fateh Hyderabad v Pride Sports

20 January 2017	Fateh Hyderabad	2–0	Pride Sports	Hyderabad
15:45 IST	Adam Mitter 17' Rinreithan Shaiza 85'	Report		Stadium: Gachibowli Athletic Stadium Attendance: 150 Referee: Ranjit Bakshi

Ozone v Kenkre

21 January 2017	Ozone	1–2	Kenkre	Bangalore
15:00 IST	Sabeeth 56'	Report	Yogesh Kadam 61' Rajib Ghorui 65'	Stadium: Bangalore Football Stadium Attendance: 2,500 Referee: Venkatesh R.

Ozone v Pride Sports

27 January 2017	Ozone	3–0	Pride Sports	Bangalore
15:00 IST	Anto Xavier 30', 31' Vignesh 37'	Report		Stadium: Bangalore Football Stadium Attendance: 2,700 Referee: Tanmoy Dhar

Kenkre v Fateh Hyderabad

27 January 2017	Kenkre	0–0	Fateh Hyderabad	Mumbai
15:30 IST		Report		Stadium: Cooperage Stadium Attendance: 20 Referee: Khamruddin Mohammed Avez

Pride Sports v Kenkre

4 February 2017	Pride Sports	0–1	Kenkre	Jabalpur
15:30 IST		Report	Yogesh Kadam 62'	Stadium: Ordinance Stadium Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Khamruddin Mohammed Avez

Fateh Hyderabad v Ozone

5 February 2017	Fateh Hyderabad	0–0	Ozone	Hyderabad
15:45 IST		Report		Stadium: Gachibowli Athletic Stadium Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Tanmoy Dhar

Fateh Hyderabad v Kenkre

9 February 2017	Fateh Hyderabad	0–0	Kenkre	Hyderabad
15:45 IST		Report		Stadium: Gachibowli Athletic Stadium Attendance: 200 Referee: Gibin Baby Kalarickal

Pride Sports v Ozone

10 February 2017	Pride Sports	2–5	Ozone	Jabalpur
15:00 IST	Akhilesh Devrani 37' Jonychand Singh Thounaojam 71' (pen.)	Report	Sabeeth 7' Anto Xavier 62', 90+2' Satish Kumar 81', 90+4'	Stadium: Ordinance Stadium Attendance: 1,200 Referee: Mithanshu Das

Ozone v Fateh Hyderabad

16 February 2017	Ozone	1–2	Fateh Hyderabad	Bangalore
15:00 IST	Anto Xavier 40'	Report	Tamang 3' Nongmeithem Bonison Singh 23'	Stadium: Bangalore Football Stadium Attendance: 2,500 Referee: Senthil Nathan S.

Kenkre v Pride Sports

17 February 2017	Kenkre	2–0	Pride Sports	Mumbai
15:30 IST	Yao Kouassi Bernard 48', 51'	Report		Stadium: Cooperage Ground Attendance: 200 Referee: Debashis Mandi

Kenkre v Ozone

24 February 2017	Kenkre	2–3	Ozone	Mumbai
15:30 IST	Yao Kouassi 64' Yash Mhatre 78'	Report	Anto Xavier 288', 42' Karthik Govindswamy 69'	Stadium: Cooperage Ground Attendance: 250 Referee: Rowan Arumughan

Pride Sports v Fateh Hyderabad

24 February 2017	Pride Sports	0–3 awarded	Fateh Hyderabad	Jabalpur
15:30 IST		Report		Stadium: Ordinance Stadium Attendance: 100 Referee: Gibin Baby Kalarickal
Note: Pride Sports boycotted the match against Fateh Hyderabad, hence Fateh Hyderabad were awarded 0–3 win

Final round

Main article: 2016–17 I-League 2nd Division final round

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	NEROCA (C)	10	8	2	0	23	4	+19	26	Promotion to the I-League
2	Southern Samity	10	5	2	3	16	15	+1	17
3	Delhi United	9	3	3	3	12	16	−4	12
4	Fateh Hyderabad	10	2	5	3	9	9	0	11
5	Lonestar Kashmir	9	1	3	5	8	13	−5	6
6	Kenkre	10	1	3	6	11	20	−9	6

Source: I-league
(C) Champions

Season statistics

Top scorers

Updated: 28 May 2017

Rank	Player	Club	Goals
1	Odafa Okolie	Southern Samity	9
	Felix Chidi Odili	NEROCA
3	Stephan Harry	Delhi United	8
4	Anto Xavier	Ozone	7
5	Subhash Singh	NEROCA	6
6	Yao Kouassi Bernard	Kenkre	5
	Aakif Javaid	Lonestar Kashmir
8	Vanlal Biaa	Mohammedan	4
	Lago Dogbo Bei	Real Kashmir
	Ashim Biswas	Southern Samity
	Pritam Singh	NEROCA
	Saihou Jagne	Fateh Hyderabad
13	Prem Kumar	Real Kashmir	3
	Ogba Kalu Nnanna	Southern Samity
	Thangjam Singh	NEROCA
	Mashangva Zenith	Delhi United
	Basanta Singh	Southern Samity
	Sampath Kuttymani	Kenkre
	Yogesh Kadam	Kenkre