Inter Kashi is an Indian professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club based in

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

. The club currently competes in the

I-League The I-League (known as Hero I-League for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp) is the second-tier men's professional football competition of the Indian football league system. It is currently contested by 12 clubs across the country with the w ...

, the second tier league of the

Indian football league system The Indian football league system is the league structure of football club competitions in India. The highest level of men's club football competition in India is the Indian Super League. Indian Women's League, founded in 2016, is the highest l ...

. It is the first professional club from the state of Uttar Pradesh to play in a national level league of the country. The club is in collaboration with Spanish club

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...

and Andorran clubs Inter Escaldes and

FC Andorra Futbol Club Andorra is a professional football club based in Andorra la Vella, Andorra, that currently competes in Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish league system. The club was founded in 1942 and currently plays its home fixtu ...

History

In May 2023, the

All India Football Federation The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the national governing body of football in India. It is a member of FIFA, the international governing body of football and affiliated to Asian Football Confederation. It is affiliated to Ministry o ...

, the governing body of

football in India Association football, Football in India has historically been among the top 3 most popular sport in terms of players participation and TV viewership, together with long time number one cricket and re-emerging kabaddi. India's current top domest ...

, announced they would accept bids for new clubs to join

2023–24 I-League The 2023–24 I-League is the 17th season of the I-League and the second season as the second tier of Indian football league system. Changes from last season Teams ;Promoted to Indian Super League *RoundGlass Punjab ;Promoted to I-League ...

season onwards. 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. 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. The club also announced creation of the Atlético de Bharat Academy for the development of grassroots football in the state. Spaniard Carlos Santamarina was chosen as the first head coach of the club, while Javier Broch and

Arata Izumi is a Japanese-born Indian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently a youth coach with the Reliance Foundation Young Champs. Izumi began his professional career in Singapore with Albirex Niigata Singapore and in ...

were roped in as assistant coach. English footballer Peter Hartley was the first player signed by the club. On 28 October 2023, Inter Kashi played their first ever official match against

Gokulam Kerala Gokulam Kerala Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Calicut, Kerala. Founded in 2017, the club competes in the I-League, the second tier of Indian football league system. They won the 2020–21 I-League to become the ...

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. Their first win came against

Namdhari The Namdharis (Gurmukhi: ਨਾਮਧਾਰੀ; ''nāmadhārī'', meaning "bearers of the Naam Japo, name"), also known as Kuka (Gurmukhi: ਕੂਕਾ; ''kūkā'' Singular (grammatical number), g ਕੂਕੇ; ''kūkē'' Plural, l from P ...

on 6 November 2023. On 21st November, Inter Kashi played their first I-League home match against

Mohammedan ''Mohammedan'' (also spelled ''Muhammadan'', ''Mahommedan'', ''Mahomedan'' or ''Mahometan'') is a term for a follower of Muhammad, the Islamic prophet. It is used as both a noun and an adjective, meaning belonging or relating to, either Muham ...

in the Ekana Football Stadium in

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

Club crest and kits

Crest

In the Inter Kashi's crest,

Tripundra ''Tripundra'' ( sa, त्रिपुण्ड्र ''tripuṇḍra'' "three marks") is a Hindu Shaivite tilaka, and a form of body art with origins in Ancient India. It is also one of the tilakas worn by Smarta Hindus. It consists of three h ...

(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 A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

of Varanasi.

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Players

First-team squad

Management and staff

Current staff

Inter Kashi management

References

{{Reflist I-League clubs Association football clubs established in 2023 2023 establishments in India