- Tata Steel sold its entire stake in Jamshedpur Football to Churchill Brothers for Rs 100
- The deal transfers ISL licence, 12 players, and two coaches to Churchill Brothers from September
- JFSPL had Rs 32.23 crore turnover and negative net worth of Rs 5.8 crore in FY26
Tata Steel has sold its entire stake in Jamshedpur Football and Sporting Private Limited (JFSPL) to Churchill Brothers Sports Club for a token sum of Rs 100, exiting the Indian Super League and bringing the curtain down on its ownership of a professional football club.
The Committee of Directors, constituted by Tata Steel's board in July, approved the transfer of all 4,08,00,000 equity shares in JFSPL at its meeting on August 14. A share purchase agreement was signed the same day, with the transaction expected to close by 31 August, subject to approval from the All India Football Federation and other customary conditions.
The sale price is roughly 150 times cheaper than the official ball used at the FIFA World Cup, which costs close to Rs 15,000 at the top end.
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The deal includes JFSPL's ISL sporting licence along with the contracts of 12 players and two coaches, who will move to Churchill Brothers with effect from September. The Goa-based club, which has close to four decades of history in Indian football and two I-League titles to its name, said the transfer would allow Jamshedpur's playing and coaching staff to continue their careers in the ISL without disruption.
JFSPL posted a turnover of Rs 32.23 crore in FY26, a fraction of Tata Steel's consolidated revenue, and had a negative net worth of Rs 5.8 crore as of March 2026. The company confirmed the transaction is not a related party deal and does not fall under any scheme of arrangement.
D B Sundara Ramam, Vice President, Corporate Services at Tata Steel, said the company would continue to focus on grassroots and youth football through the Tata Football Academy, which has trained over 300 cadets since its founding in Jamshedpur in 1987, including 150 who went on to represent India. He added that Tata Steel would keep investing in its sporting infrastructure, in partnership with the AIFF, even as it steps back from top-flight club ownership.
The move marks a broader retreat by Tata Steel from professional club football, even as it maintains its long-standing sports patronage through academies in archery, hockey and athletics.
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