Real Kashmir FC is more than just a club for us: Co-owner Chattoo

Challenges are nothing new to the the Real Kashmir Football Club. For a club born in a state which has faced terror, turmoil and turbulence incessantly, the change from a state to Union Territory after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5 and dealing with the security and communication clampdown thereafter have not diminished the spirit of players and owners of the club.

The team was totally cut off from each other. Two days after the clampdown, it had to leave Srinagar for Kalyani to participate in the Durand Cup. Coach David Robertson and co-owners Sandeep Chattoo and Shamim Meraj had no clue whether the full squad would board the plane for the tournament. But everybody turned up, and in Robertson's words, "some were very shaken up", yet they did. They won their first outing in Kalyani against Chennai FC and went on to reach the semifinal of the Durand Cup. The uncertainty over the club's future due to the impending long-term merger of I-League with ISL is least of the team owners' and players' concern.

With no communication possible, Chattoo got "special permission" from local authorities to get his mobile phone working. The players would call their family and team officials from and on this number.

Kallum Higginbotham is the second player from Scotland to join the club—the first being coach Robertson's son Mason. A striker, he said he did not find it difficult to adjust to the lack of communication in the Valley. Higginbotham agreed to play for the club after watching the documentary. “Funny, I actually watched that before speaking to the manager. So, I had my own perceptions of what Srinagar was like before coming and since I have come I can safely say that it is completely different to what my own view was and I can imagine that’s what the majority of views are."

He added that the squad became even more tight-knit with no mobile phones working and depending on each other instead for company and solace. "I knew I was safe. My partner was a bit more worried since I couldn’t contact. But that was for a few hours and then the landline started working in the hotel and now the mobile phones are working.

“Personally, I think it’s the most tight-knit squad I have been involved with and I think that’s because I have no phone to go and search the web whenever I want.

“I know a lot more about Muhammad Hammad (one of the players) and he knows about me than if we had our phones. It’s just that in this modern age we do not communicate anymore."

The club was born in the aftermath of the Kashmir floods of 2014 as a means to engage young boys of the Valley who were dispirited and shaken by the floods. From a local club to a popular football club in the national league, Real Kashmir have had an amazing three-year journey, said Chattoo. In their debut season in 2017-18, they won the second division of the I-League and became the first club from Jammu and Kashmir to play in the league's premier division. They finished third in the 2018-19 season of the I-League. The Snow Leopards, as they are called, stood out for their strong defence in the last season. They have added to their fire power by boosting their attack. They have a sponsor in sports major Adidas and other big local names. A documentary film on their rise by BBC recently won the prestigious BAFTA Scotland award for single documentary.

The team returned to the Valley for pre-season stint after concluding one in Mumbai recently. They train at the TRC ground—their home turf. The image of the team training on the snow-covered ground, tweeted by the club, had captured the imagination of many. The team boasts of local players, players from northeast, Punjab and players from Scotland, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.

Chattoo and his team sounded upbeat about the upcoming I-league season “unofficially" set to start on December 2, which will be their first away match. Their first home game is in the Valley as of now on December 12 against Gokulam Kerala FC. As the I-League entered its final stretch last season, teams such as Minerva Punjab FC and East Bengal refused to travel to Srinagar sighting security concerns post the Pulwama attack. Be it hosting home games or the impending merger of I-League with ISL and threats to grassroots small clubs, Real Kashmir are geared up for any challenge thrown their way.

The determination of the owners to support and continue with the club despite all the challenges is evident in the conversation with Chattoo. Excerpts:

Real Kashmir is three seasons old. Things have only gotten complicated for you.

It's not like running a club in a normal place. For us, it is running the club and day-to-day issues coming up which do not happen in any other part of the country (laughs). Unfortunately or fortunately! But it has been an amazing journey. I am grateful to David (Robertson) for his belief in the owners and that he is in a safe place called Kashmir. He loves it, and calls it his second home. Then Adidas for their support which means there's lot to wear! It adds to the passion. Under David, the team has been performing. When you set up a team, the most important thing is performance.

The club did not get much support from the BJP-PDP government in J&K. Do you expect more support from the administration now?

I always expect it to change as far as funding is concerned. But I always tell David that funding is for me as an individual who is responsible for the club, to worry about. It's for me to see how to run it, get funding, how to get new sponsors. That's additional burden on me. The club should not be concerned about it. We are two friends who started this club and we have reached here. We are up against corporates, up against a club which has 7-9 directors, 100 years of history.

You are also in an environment where smaller football clubs are shutting down. How are you looking to survive in such a scenario?

I am also looking to start some new businesses to sustain the club (laughs)! So that I make some more money, because the money from my other businesses is going into the club.

See, the club is an independent entity. We will come up with something. We have to do something, and we will do it. It's not just a football club for me at least. Not like we make a club, get sponsors, make money. We will probably never make money out of it. It's passion. David is not here because of money. We are not paying him a lot. It's passion that is driving all of us.

No sane businessman will do these kind of things. The positivity coming out of the club every day is very important. We can't let the youth of the state down. They look up to the club. It's the only hope they have. It's an unreal feeling. Hammad, Danish [Farooq Bhat] are stars there. They see their faces on the hoardings.

We do anything, and it becomes news. We have achieved something beyond football—we have got people together. You can see 20,000 young Kashmiri boys cheering in the stands during a match, and the policeman standing behind clapping with them. You cannot imagine it in Kashmir. We have broken those barriers through football.

There might not be a broadcaster for I-League matches probably. It will be a big letdown for fans who cannot come to the stadium in the Valley?

DD Kashmir will be broadcasting all our matches. We have an understanding with them. Last year, all our matches were telecast because Star refused. If no one does it, then we will set up our own internet thing and telecast it. It doesn't cost that much.

If other teams refuse to play in the Valley like last season, the costs will go up since you will have to play home matches in a different city. How will you manage?

It's not just a question of cost but who would want to play away. The whole essence is lost. If we cannot play in our own TRC ground and home fans can't see us play, then whole point is lost.

Other teams hesitate and use the excuse of not coming to Kashmir because they fear losing to RKFC on their home ground. We can't help it. They should give us three points.

Last year when we went to a northeast state, there was curfew for six days. Everything was burning on the streets. When we reached that place, we didn't complain. Minerva didn't come last year because they knew they would lose. What was the problem? We tweeted pics of fans waiting for the visiting team. These arrangements are for the government to make. All these are mere excuses.

This is football. If some state has a problem, we should accept it, put it aside, go there and play the way we have done.

What are your takeaways from the I-League vs ISL debate and the recent AFC meetings?

I will be very honest. What options do any club have in the I-League? ISL-I-League merger, if it has to happen, will happen. Reliance put money in football. They want one premier league. There should only be one premier league of the country. At least, I am grateful that they did not make it second division. It is up to us to merge with it in a very dignified manner. At that point, all club owners have to think about what we can do? As small clubs in I-League, we cannot pay Rs 14 crore as franchise money.

I have to plan and have started to do so from now, on what is my stake in club, how much I can dilute, what can I generate.... That is how we have to progress. ISL is there to stay.

For a club like ours, we have to be performing all the time to be popular. It's very easy to say RKFC won a BAFTA, but we have to keep performing.

We are all in it together here at the club. It's a dream. We have seen what we have done in Kashmir. The response we got in other states is unbelievable.

Your message to other grassroots clubs?

Don't be as passionate as we have been (laughs)! If you have a dream, work hard and do it the right way. Never give up. No club should give up, borrow or steal.