2008–09 I-League
| Season | 2008–09 I-League Season | 
|---|---|
| Dates | 26 September 2008– 16 April 2009 | 
| Champions | Churchill Brothers 1st I-League title 1st Indian title | 
| Relegated | Mohammedan Vasco | 
| AFC Champions League | Churchill Brothers | 
| AFC Cup | East Bengal (as Federation Cup Winners) | 
| Matches played | 132 | 
| Goals scored | 318 (2.41 per match) | 
| Top goalscorer | Odafa Onyeka Okolie | 
| ← 2007–08  2009–10 →  | |
The 2008–09 I-League season began on 26 September 2008 and finished on 16 April 2009 with a break in December for the Federation Cup and Durand Cup. Most games this season were played on Saturday's and Sunday's to attract larger crowds. After a successful first season for the I League, the second season featured 12 teams from four cities – again this would be expanded in the 2009–10 season to 14 teams.
The champion in the I-League qualified for the AFC Champions League 2010 qualifying playoffs in 2010, while the bottom two teams were relegated to I-League 2nd Division for the next season.
Gallery
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			 Sayed Rahim Nabi of East Bengal and Daniel of Chirag United during at 2008–09 I-League at Salt Lake Stadium Sayed Rahim Nabi of East Bengal and Daniel of Chirag United during at 2008–09 I-League at Salt Lake Stadium
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			 I League Daniel of Chirag United takes a freekick against Mahindra United at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata I League Daniel of Chirag United takes a freekick against Mahindra United at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata
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			 Wilton Gomes of Sporting Clube de Goa tackles Lester Fernandes of Vasco during I-League 2008-09 match at Fatorda Stadium Goa Wilton Gomes of Sporting Clube de Goa tackles Lester Fernandes of Vasco during I-League 2008-09 match at Fatorda Stadium Goa
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Teams


Kolkata

Goa

Mumbai
Locations of games played in the 2008–09 I-League
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Churchill Brothers | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 53 | 23 | +30 | 46 | 2010 AFC Champions League Qualifying play-off | 
| 2 | Mohun Bagan | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 30 | 20 | +10 | 43 | |
| 3 | Sporting Goa | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 28 | 20 | +8 | 43 | |
| 4 | Dempo | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 35 | 26 | +9 | 31 | |
| 5 | Mahindra United | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 28 | 22 | +6 | 31 | |
| 6 | East Bengal | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 31 | 26 | +5 | 28 | 2010 AFC Cup group stage[a] | 
| 7 | Mumbai | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 22 | 27 | −5 | 28 | |
| 8 | Chirag United | 22 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 20 | 26 | −6 | 26 | |
| 9 | JCT | 22 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 19 | 22 | −3 | 25 | |
| 10 | Air India | 22 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 21 | 26 | −5 | 24 | |
| 11 | Mohammedan Sporting | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 31 | −14 | 22 | Relegation to 2010 I-League 2nd Division | 
| 12 | Vasco (R) | 22 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 14 | 49 | −35 | 10 | 
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ East Bengal qualified for the 2010 AFC Cup as 2009–10 Indian Federation Cup winners.
Home and away season
Round 1
| East Bengal | 3–1 | Chirag United Sports Club | 
|---|---|---|
| I Surkumar Singh  10' Yakubu  19' Sunil Chetri  28' | Shankar Oraon  79' | 
Referee: S Suresh
| Vasco Sports Club | 0–1 | Sporting Clube de Goa | 
|---|---|---|
| Elijah Obagbemiro Jr  90+1' | 
Referee: Minangshu Bhattacharya
| Mohun Bagan | 1–2 | Mumbai FC | 
|---|---|---|
| Pachau Lalam Puia  77' | Abel Hammond  9' Kalia Kulothungan  24' | 
Referee: A Arjunan
| Dempo Sports Club | 1–2 | JCT FC | 
|---|---|---|
| Nicolau Borges  77' | Escobar  17' Balwant Singh  64' | 
Referee: Pradeep Kumar
| Mohammedan Sporting Club | 1–1 | Air-India | 
|---|---|---|
| Theodore Sunday Wrobeh  59' | Surojit Roy  23' | 
Referee: Francisco Fernandes
Round 2
| East Bengal | 0–1 | Mumbai FC | 
|---|---|---|
| Felix Aboagye  23' | 
Referee: A Arjunan
| Mohun Bagan | 1–1 | Air-India | 
|---|---|---|
| Branco Cordozo  70' | Soccor Velho  43' | 
| Sporting Clube de Goa | 3–0 | Mohammedan Sporting Club | 
|---|---|---|
| Elijah Obagbemiro Jr  63'  77' Micky Fernandes  76' | 
| Mahindra United | 1–3 | Chirag United Sports Club | 
|---|---|---|
| Sushil Kumar Singh  12' | Subair Muritala Ali  46' Gouranga Datta  52' Hardip Singh Saini  87' | 
| Churchill Brothers | 3–3 | Dempo Sports Club | 
|---|---|---|
| Felix Chimaokwu  15'  19' Odafe Onyeka Okolie  31' | Mboyo Iyomi  37'  47'  76' | 
Round 3
| Mahindra United | 0–1 | Mumbai FC | 
|---|---|---|
| Kalia Kulothungan  23' | 
Referee: Benjamin Silva
| Sporting Clube de Goa | 2–0 | Mohun Bagan | 
|---|---|---|
| Wilton Gomes  26' Nathaniel Amos  51' | Report | 
Referee: P Bhaskar
| Air-India | 2–0 | East Bengal | 
|---|---|---|
| Surojit Roy  48'
Michael Tayo  70' | 
| Dempo Sports Club | 2–1 | Vasco Sports Club | 
|---|---|---|
| Roberto Silva  24'
Ranty Martins  30' | Ravshan Teshabaev  32' | 
Round 4
| JCT FC | 0–1 | Mahindra United | 
|---|---|---|
| Sukhwinder Singh  70' | 
Referee: Nazir Ahmed
| Air-India | 1–0 | Chirag United Sports Club | 
|---|---|---|
| Surojit Roy  69' | 
Referee: A Rowan
| East Bengal | 2–0 | Vasco Sports Club | 
|---|---|---|
| Yakubu  7', 90' | 
Referee: PK Bose
| Mohammedan Sporting Club | 1–1 | Mohun Bagan | 
|---|---|---|
| Goutam Thakur  3' | Jose Ramirez Barreto  23' | 
Referee: Sreenivasan Suresh
| Churchill Brothers | 3–0 | Sporting Clube de Goa | 
|---|---|---|
| Odafe Onyeka Okolie  14', 60' Thokchom Naoba Singh  85' | 
Referee: Pradeep Kumar
Round 5
| Sporting Clube de Goa | 1–0 | Mumbai FC | 
|---|---|---|
| Eliga Junior  17' | 
| Mohun Bagan | 1–1 | East Bengal | 
|---|---|---|
| Baichung Bhutia  2' | Rahim Nabi  38' | 
| Vasco Sports Club | 1–4 | Churchill Brothers | 
|---|---|---|
| Agnelo Colaco  70' | Odafe Onyeka Okolie  39'  44'  62'
Felix Chimaokw  41' | 
| Dempo SC | 3–1 | Air-India | 
|---|---|---|
| Ranty Martins  38'  78'
Climax Lawrence  55' | Ravinder Singh  60' | 
Round 6
| Vasco Sports Club | 0–2 | Mahindra United | 
|---|---|---|
| Chiddi Edeh  43'
Sushil Kumar Singh  61' | 
Round 7
| Mumbai FC | 1–1 | Vasco Sports Club | 
|---|---|---|
| Kulothungan  25' | Abhiskek Yadav  65' | 
| Dempo SC | 0–1 | Sporting Clube de Goa | 
|---|---|---|
| Elija Jr.  83' | 
| Chirag United Sports Club | 1–0 | Mohammedan Sporting Club | 
|---|---|---|
| Gouranga Dutta  62' | 
| Mohun Bagan | 1–0 | Churchill Brothers | 
|---|---|---|
| P Lalwampuia  14' | 
Round 8
| Mohammedan Sporting Club | 1–0 | Vasco Sports Club | 
|---|---|---|
| Bimal Parier  87' | 
| Mahindra United | 1–1 | Air-India | 
|---|---|---|
| Sushil Kumar  55' | Subhash Singh  66' | 
| East Bengal | 3–1 | Sporting Clube de Goa | 
|---|---|---|
| Chhetri  14'
Syed Rahim Nabi  26'  31' | Harmanjot Khabra  54' | 
| Churchill Brothers | 2–2 | Mumbai FC | 
|---|---|---|
| Odafe Onyeka Okolie  21'
Reisangmi Vashum  70' | Abhishek Yadav  10'
Kulothungan  75' | 
| Mohun Bagan | 2–0 | JCT FC | 
|---|---|---|
| Ishfaq Ahmed  15'
Jose Ramirez Barreto  30 pen' | 
| Dempo SC | 4–0 | Chirag United Sports Club | 
|---|---|---|
| Ranty Martins  4'  70' Joaquim Abranches   58' | 
Round 9
| Churchill Brothers | 1–1 | Air-India | 
|---|---|---|
| Felix Chimaokwu  38' | Michael Tayo  90+3' | 
| Vasco Sports Club | 1–2 | Mohun Bagan | 
|---|---|---|
| Lalnun Puia  29' | Rakesh Masih  31'
Lalkamal Bhowmick  55' | 
| Chirag United Sports Club | 1–1 | Mumbai FC | 
|---|---|---|
| Shankar Orao  12' | Riston Rodrigues  59' | 
Round 10
| Mohun Bagan AC | 1–0 | Mahindra United | 
|---|---|---|
| Bhaichung Bhutia  46' | 
Referee: P. Basu
| Dempo Sports Club | 1–0 | East Bengal | 
|---|---|---|
| [Beto]  78' | 
Round 12
| Mumbai FC | 0–3 | Mohun Bagan AC | 
|---|---|---|
Cooperage Ground, Mumbai
| JCT FC | 2–1 | Dempo Sports Club | 
|---|---|---|
Guru Nanak Dev Stadium
| Chirag United Sports Club | 0–0 | East Bengal | 
|---|---|---|
Saltlake Stadium, Kolkata
| Mahindra United | 1–3 | Churchill Brothers SC | 
|---|---|---|
Cooperage Ground, Mumbai
| Air-India | 1–1 | Mohammedan Sporting Club | 
|---|---|---|
Cooperage Ground, Mumbai
| Sporting Clube de Goa | 0–1 | Vasco Sports Club | 
|---|---|---|
Fatorda Stadium, Margao
Round 13
| Mumbai FC | 2–1 | East Bengal | 
|---|---|---|
| A. Yadav  47' A. Hammond  88' | Yakubu  13' | 
Round 14
| East Bengal | 3–1 | Air-India | 
|---|---|---|
| Yakubu  49' Sunil Chetri  56' Sanju Pradhan  81' | Subhash Singh  88' | 
Round 15
| Vasco Sports Club | 1–4 | East Bengal | 
|---|---|---|
| Sherzod Nazarov  52' | Chhetri  29'  90', Yakubu  46', 56' | 
| Mohun Bagan AC | 1–0 | Mohammedan Sporting Club | 
|---|---|---|
| James Lukram Singh  14' | 
Referee: Pradeep Kumar
Round 16
| Churchill Brothers SC | 9 -1 | Vasco Sports Club | 
|---|---|---|
| Odafe Onyeka Okolie  42'  50'  57'  82'  89'  90' | 
| JCT FC | 0–1 | Chirag United Sports Club | 
|---|---|---|
| Ayeni Bidemi Daniel  38' | 
| East Bengal | 3–0 | Mohun Bagan AC | 
|---|---|---|
| Syed Rahim Nabi  22', 40' Chhetri  47' | 
Attendance: 90,000
Round 17
| East Bengal | 2–2 | Mohammedan Sporting Club | 
|---|---|---|
| Nirmal Chhetri  48'; Chhetri  54' | Okoro  4'; Eugene Gray | 
Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata
Referee: Shaji Kurian
Round 18
| Churchill Brothers SC | 3–1 | Mohun Bagan AC | 
|---|---|---|
| Odafe Onyeka Okolie  45', Ogba Kalu Nnanna  57',  77' | Jose Ramirez Barreto  28' | 
Referee: Pradeep Kumar (Tamil Nadu)
| Mahindra United | 2–1 | East Bengal | 
|---|---|---|
| C.Edeh  54'  70' | Sunil Chetri  50' | 
| Vasco Sports Club | 1–2 | Mumbai FC | 
|---|---|---|
| Kalia Kulothungan  89', Abhishek Yadav  10' | 
Round 19
| Air-India | 1–3 | Mahindra United | 
|---|---|---|
| Sushil Kumar Singh  56' | 
| Sporting Clube de Goa | 1–1 | East Bengal | 
|---|---|---|
| J. Pereira  64' | I. Addo  42' | 
| Mumbai FC | 2–3 | Churchill Brothers SC | 
|---|---|---|
| Anees Kutty  15' | 
Round 20
| JCT FC | 2–0 | Sporting Clube de Goa | 
|---|---|---|
| Paul M. Nwachukwu  11', Jagpreet singh  81' | 
| Mohammedan Sporting Club | 2–0 | Mumbai FC | 
|---|---|---|
| Satyajit Bose  14' | 
| Churchill Brothers SC | 3–1 | East Bengal | 
|---|---|---|
| Odafe Onyeka Okolie  45'  75' Kalu  53' | Yakubu  86' | 
| Air-India | 1–0 | Vasco Sports Club | 
|---|---|---|
| Singam Subash Singh  67' | 
| Dempo SC | 3–2 | Mahindra United | 
|---|---|---|
| Arata izumi  1', Sushil Kumar Singh  65' | 
Round 21
| East Bengal | 2–1 | JCT FC | 
|---|---|---|
| Yakubu  35'  69' | Edu  76' | 
Round 22
| Churchill Brothers | 6–2 | Mohammedan Sporting Club | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
 | 
| East Bengal | 2–2 | Dempo SC | 
|---|---|---|
| Yakubu  12' I. Addo  60' | C. Antao  21' Beto  22' | 
Top scorers
- As of 23 March 2009






