By Dhruv Shah,
AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: One of seven clubs to make their debut in the upcoming Hero I-League Qualifiers 2021, Corbett FC have an air of excitement as well as nervousness.

With players like Brian Faria, Naveen Rawat & Rohit Gussain showing great strength, resilience, power, and discipline, the team has a strong base to build on. The club is relatively new at this level of Indian Football but that does not bother head coach Caetano Infancio De Souza Pinho, who wants to carry out its vision for the people of Uttarakhand.

“Our club Corbett FC has a dream and a huge vision for all of Uttarakhand’s people, which cannot be achieved without the support, help and cooperation. We would like to urge them to lend us their support in the Hero I-League Qualifiers,” Pinho said to i-league.org.

Speaking about the upcoming tournament, the coach said, “Football is an unpredictable sport and that’s why it is the most famous sport all over the world. The underdogs can upset the favourites on any given day. We are the newcomers in this league and we will approach each opponent with caution and respect. The players are eager to step out on the field and play some football.”

With Caetano himself being new to the setup at Corbett FC, he has admitted that there have been mixed feelings regarding the past few weeks preparing for the qualifiers. Caetano said, “Since I was new to the team, the players were not sure what I would be expecting from them. As I was also trying them in different positions, they were unsure where they stood in our plan.” However, the coach went on to reiterate, “as time passed and we continued to work together, we got a better understanding amongst ourselves with more clarity on each other’s roles and responsibilities.”

When asked about the vision of the club, the coach said that Corbett FC had a clear vision about how to move ahead. The state of Uttarakhand has had players like Anirudh Thapa come through the ranks and become a star for Indian football. Corbett FC are looking to contribute in a similar vein. Coach Pinho said, “The management is very ambitious and has a clear vision to develop the community and young talents of Uttarakhand. We want to give them the opportunity to follow the pathway of Manish Maithani, Anirudh Thapa and others. Our youth development is already in place.”

Looking ahead at their first match in the Hero I-League Qualifiers, Pinho showed a lot of respect towards their first opponents ARA FC. He said, “ARA FC has a very good technical coaching staff. Vivek Nagul and Salim Pathan are extremely seasoned coaches and they know the tricks of the trade. They have also been in this league for quite some time now.”

Nevertheless, the coach was confident in his team as well, going on to say, “Our boys are showing great eagerness, hunger to compete and achieve against the best in the league.”