By I-League Media
NEW DELHI: Second Division League clubs, including five debutants, met the I-League officials today at AIFF Football House, New Delhi to discuss the nitty-gritty of upcoming Second Division League 2015-16.
Taha Azeem, B.A. Shah (Lonestar Kashmir FC); Surinder Singh, Henna Singh, Ranjit Bajaj (Minerva AFC); Anjali Shah, Nirvan Shah (PIFA); Rohit Kamble, Piyush Algude, Amit Vanjari (DSK Shivajians FC); Wilfried D Souza, Nicholas Falcao (Dempo SC); Belal Ahmed, Gabriel Gomes (Mohammedan SC); Joshua Lewis (Kenkre); Vikram Rajkumar, Rahul Choudhury (Fateh Hyderabad); Tenzing Lamtha, Tenzing Denzongpa (Gangtok Himalayan SC); Dayal Mazumdar, Abhishek (Guwahati FC); Thangjam Arun Kumar (Neroca FC) attended the workshop on behalf of their respective club.
While veterans akin to Mohammedan SC, Dempo SC are going to ply their trade in the league, the debutants are leaving no stones unturned to make a mark in their inaugural season as well. Minerva AFC, pitted in the Western conference with Dempo SC, Kenkre FC, PIFA, Lonestar Kashmir FC and DSK Shivajians, are vying not only for a top three spot but to cement their spot in Hero I-League 2016-17. Ranjit Bajaj, Director, Minerva AFC, an eloquent person by nature, has been extremely vocal during the session, “We’re fighting it out to clinch the silverware and seal the I-League berth. Anything less than that won’t serve the purpose at all. We assure that fans would surely love our game.”
Wilfried D Souza, General Secretary, Dempo SC sounded a little skeptical though motivated to make the cut, “We have a good number of players loaned out to various franchisees as well as some are committed to U18 league. Certainly it’ll be a hard nut to crack but none can write Dempo off before the whistle.” Albeit the experienced bloke is eyeing to an outright win, he couldn’t hide his disappointment while discussing their relegation, “We were hurt by so many factors, surviving all of them was quite a hard job but it’s part and parcel of football.”
The Eastern Conference, which comprises of four debutants, is going to host no less than a thriller as well. Guwahati FC, Fateh Hyderabad FC, Gangtok Himalayans FC and Neroca FC are not going to throw the towel a second before the final whistle. Mohammedan SC, unarguably the Indian club with richest history, are set to make their second consecutive appearance in Second Division League. Belal Ahmed, Team Manager, Mohammedan SC is quite focussed and stated their intention clearly, “It hurts playing in the Second Division year after year. We have to fasten our belt and put an extra effort to crack it this season. Mohammedan Sporting can’t afford to let the opportunity go this time.”
Sunando Dhar, CEO, I-League addressed the club dignitaries and he fathomed the idea of hosting home matches would be of great value in near future, “Second Division League with five debutants is nothing less than a perfect endeavour towards the next step. Playing in front of the home crowd would certainly prove to be more motivating and it’s going be the perfect stage rehearsal for the team whoever gets qualified to Hero I-League 2016-17.”
The league is going to kick-off on 14th November, 2015 with a double header while Neroca FC take on Hyderabad FC and Mohammedan Sporting Club lock their horns with another debutant Guwahati FC.
