Indian Club Football: Why only investors from Bengal?

The above is a question which needs to be asked. Over the Indian football summer break a number of clubs and entities have been on the lookout for new partners and sponsors, but only companies from Kolkata have come forward to spend Rs 50 to 80 Million (5 to 8 crores) per year.

Surely one has to criticize Chirag Computers style of their Viva Kerala takeover to name them Chirag United Club Kerala or in short CUCK, which is even worse. But on the other side why has Kerala's lone entrant in the top tier of the I-League not been able to find a local Kerala sponsor/backer or a Non-Resident Keralite with money? Then the fact is without Chirag Computers owner Kaustav Roy being on the lookout for an I-League club after his split with United SC the future of Viva Kerala looked seriously bleak.

Take Kolkata-based United SC. The I-League side split from Chirag Computers due to differences in ownership but after a few weeks found a new long-term partner in the Prayag Group of Industries, who have agreed to sponsor them for six years. This gives he United SC management planning security.

The third example of this summer are the Indian Arrows, the AIFF's developmental team. The team was based in Delhi last season and played in Gurgaon, but due to the high costs involved the AIFF where on the lookout for a sponsor and partner for the Arrows who could adopt the team. They hoped to either keep the team in Delhi or shift to Bangalore or Pune with a national or local sponsor. It didn't happen, then in the end the Pailan Group from Kolkata became the partners and the Arrows have now shifted to their world school campus in Joka.

There are other companies from Kolkata to have come forward to fund Calcutta Premier Division sides with budgets which would surely make some of the I-League sides envious.

But why aren't there any investments into Indian club football elsewhere? Especially from Mumbai and to some extend Bangalore I have been hearing for years now that there are investors waiting in the wings to launch new clubs, but nothing has ever happened.

The biggest disappointment remains for me Kerala. There is a state with huge interest in football, people follow the sport there like in Bengal, Goa and the Northeast; but there seems to be no local business which can support and sustain a local football team at the top level? That can't be.

Hopefully companies and individuals with the necessary deep pockets in other parts of India come forward to fund clubs or even found clubs to compete with the best in the country, otherwise soon it will be a Kolkata and Goa league with some Indian flavour in it...

The new Chirag United Club Kerala

It had been announced in late-June 2011 that Chirag Computers is buying a 60% controlling stake in Viva Kerala. Yesterday in a press conference in Kolkata the details of the team and their future was announced. Unlike in earlier announcements the club will not be known as Chirag Kerala.

After the takeover of Viva Kerala by Kolkata-based Chirag United Sports Pvt Ltd the team will be known as Chirag United Club Kerala or CUCK and for this season the club would retain Kerala as their home base in the I-League, but preparatory camps for tournaments like the Federation Cup, Durand Cup and IFA Shield would be held in Bengal.

At the press conference Chirag Computers owner Kaustav Roy told the media about his attempts to shift the team to Kolkata over the summer break, but that it was blocked by the AIFF as they did not want a fifth team in West Bengal after Pailan Indian Arrows joined East Bengal Club, Mohun Bagan AC and Prayan United SC as Kolkata-based I-League sides. But he did mention he would try and shift the team to Bengal next year, if not Kolkata then Siliguri could be a home base with affiliation to the Indian Football Association (West Bengal).

For this season Kannur will be the home base of Chirag United Club Kerala with Cochin set to host the I-League home matches, but with Ranji Trophy matches to be played there the team could be forced to play in Trivandrum or elsewhere in the southern state.

Subrata Bhattacharya has been appointed as the new technical director of the team with P.K. Kunhikrishnan continuing as the coach of Chirag United Club Kerala.

Kaustav Roy also said that 21 players from the old Chirag United SC still had contract with him rather then the club so they would be joining his new club side, but that was denied later in the evening by officials from Prayag United SC. There seems to be a potential problem brewing for the players.

It is interesting to see new companies from Kolkata coming forward in sponsoring and owning football teams - Prayag Group of Industries and Pailan Group at the top besides others of Calcutta Premier Division teams besides older one's like Chirag Computers. Sadly it isn't happening anywhere else in India at the moment.

Chirag United turns into Prayag United

Kolkata's United Sports Club have found a new sponsor in city-based Prayag Group of Industries. The I-League side and PGI signed a six year sponsorship contract which will be worth Rs. 50 Million (5 crores) for the first season. The club will from now on be known as Prayag United Sports Club.

For over four seasons Chirag Computers had been sponsors of United SC with the club better known as Chirag United SC, but over the summer club officials and Chirag Computers owner Kaustav Roy had a fall out which led to the club officials looking for a new sponsors, while Chirag have signed a sponsorship and ownership deal with Viva Kerala.

United SC had finished last season in eighth place of the I-League and with the help of their new owners the club want to be amongst the contenders for the I-League and Federation Cup titles after last season winning their first-ever Durand Cup crown.

United SC secretary Alokesh Kundu and chairman of PGI Basudeb Bagchi signed the MOU in presence of AIFF Vice-President Subrata Dutta, AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das and IFA Secretary Utpal Ganguli.

Former India Under-16 assistant coach Sanjoy Sen has been appointed as the new coach of Prayag United SC. The complete squad for the new season was not announced today, but some infos given on the composition of the team.

Attending the announcement function was seasoned Ghanian Yakubu Yusif, who has been signed from champions Salgaocar SC. The other foreigners are Nigerian defender Bello Razaq (Viva Kerala) and Brazilian Josimar da Silva Martins who has been retained. The club has further retained junior international Arnab Mondal plus influential midfielder Denson Devadas and Lal Kamal Bhowmick. Young talented goalkeeper Jagroop Singh (Indian Arrows) has been signed while seasoned midfielder Jayanta Sen returns from Mohun Bagan AC.

The club is said to be in talks with international defender Deepak Kumar Mondal (Mohun Bagan AC) and Kiwi Kayne Vincent (Churchill Brothers), while also looking to strengthen the team before the end of the transfer period.

The new sponsors also said that they would like to set-up three Academies along with the club, one each in North Bengal, the Jungle Mahal area and in Assam.

Chirag Computers buys 60% Viva Kerala stake

Viva Kerala and Chirag Computer have come to an agreement that the Kolkata based company will buy a 60 percent controlling stake in Viva Kerala for an undisclosed fee while the other 40 perfect stake stays with the club directors. This means football fans in Kerala can sleep again as Viva Kerala will not be following in the footsteps of Mahindra United and JCT to close down their team.

Last season Viva Kerala had been sponsored by Kunnath Pharmaceuticals through their brand Musli Power, who earlier had sponsored Churchill Brothers SC. There had been talks about Kunnath Pharmaceuticals picking-up a stake in the club, but that didn't happen for unknown reasons.

The RP Group of Companies owned Chirag Computers had been the sponsors of United Sports Club since 2006 and under the name of Chirag United SC the team from Kolkata came up from the 2nd Division into the top tier. But in the last few weeks there has been a dispute over ownership and control of the club, which the management of United SC ended by terminating the sponsorship deal.

Thereafter Chirag Computers owner Kaustav Roy has been on the lookout for an alternative club to not only sponsor, but also own. Clubs in Kolkata turned down the opportunity after which Mr. Roy was considering of launching a new club under the name of Chirag Athletic Club, but as the club would have to play the lowest division in Kolkata football that option fell through.

Contact was established with Viva Kerala only a few days ago, who where on the lookout for a new sponsor and they where willing to give that new partner a stake in the club. There have been reports that German car major Volkswagen was interested to sponsor Viva Kerala, but that has been denied by the Germans.

The deal between Viva Kerala and Chirag Computers was finalised last night in Mumbai and the club will from now on be known as Chirag Kerala instead of Viva Kerala. The club has already lost some of their key players in Bello Razaq, N.P. Pradeep and P.K. Anil Kumar; but Chirag is said to be willing to spend for the club to bring in quality players though many have already signed for other clubs.

For the moment Viva Kerala will stay in the south Indian state, but knowing Kaustav Roy he might be thinking to bring 'his club' closer to his home in the future. In the new season Chirag Kerala hope to play their home games in Kochi again, but that has not been decided yet.