New Look FCBU Hopeful of Securing I-League Berth
FC Bengaluru United will begin their quest to join the I-League when the I-League qualifiers kick off today. They will battle it out with ARA FC, Mohammedan SC, Bhawanipore FC and Garhwal FC in a round-robin format where the five teams play each other once and the team which ends up topping the league, joins the I-League.
FC Bengaluru United have been busy in the transfer window. They have signed Trinidadian defender Robert Primus, who has had the experience of playing in the Champions League and Europa League qualifiers, from Churchill Brothers. They have also signed Minerva Punjab’s cult hero, the man from Ghana who guided them to their maiden I-League title, William Opoku.
The team has been smart with its acquisitions. Signings Amey Ranawade, Gursimrat Singh Gill and Rana Gharami, join with Indian Super League appearances under their belt. Ronaldo Olivera, Nicholas Fernandes, Naro Hari Shrestha, keeper Kunzang Bhutia and Azharuddin Mallick also join the set-up having played in the I-League previously. FCBU have invested heavily in youth. Winger Ridge D’Mello was a stand-out for India during the 2018 AFC Under-16 Championship, which took place in Kuala Lumpur. Youngsters Daniel Muthu, Amoghavarsha, Ishan Dey and Shitaljit Singh Atom, come from prestigious academies across India and after catching the eye of assistant coach Gouramangi Singh, will be looking to break into the first team. Nicholas Fernandes, Ahmed Asfar and Akhil Praveen add much-needed experience to cap off a well-rounded squad.
Karnataka regulars Arun Kumar and Vignesh Gunashekar have captained the state youth teams in the past. Bengaluru boys Aditya Mohan, Kiran Saravanan, Srijith Ramesh and Shreyas Ketkar were first-team regulars during the BDFA Super Division. They have been retained along with I-League second division top-scorer Asrar Rehbar and right-back Hardik Bhatt.
Head coach Richard Hood, who was the head of youth and player development for Bengaluru FC and the Indian National team, will look to guide his team to the I-League. Assistant coach Gouramangi Singh earned 71 caps for India and has played for several top Indian clubs. After being denied entry through the direct corporate route due to the one club per-city rule, FCBU will have to do it the hard way, as their only chance of playing in the I-League is by winning the qualifiers. While FCBU is under the shadow of regional giants Bengaluru FC, they will be hoping to carve their niche in Indian football by qualifying for the I-League.
Bhawanipore FC and FC Bengaluru United play the first qualifier at 12:30 PM. 1Sports will telecast all matches and stream them online on their Facebook page.