It looks like a David versus Goliath fight. On paper at least. One is a legacy club from Kolkata that was founded in 1891. The other took shape in 2016 in Delhi, courtesy a buyout of Moonlight FC, a senior division club in the national capital.
Mohammedan Sporting are, undoubtedly, the giants in tomorrow's clash at the iconic Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata which will kickstart the I-League 2020-2021. But Sudeva FC, the first football team from Delhi to represent the city in the tournament, will be hoping to spring a surprise in their debut match. For all their team members, officials, and young founders - lawyer Ankit Gupta and environmentalist Vijay Hakari – tomorrow's clash will be a landmark in their short but interesting journey so far. Sudev FC are the only team of the three who applied, to win the bid for a direct entry into the League.
Sudeva was founded with a firm focus on improving football training at the grassroot level. It has a residential academy, too. The club expanded its operation in 2018, buying Club Deportivo Olimpic de Xativa, based in Valencia, Spain. Eighty per cent of the academy's residents in Delhi and Valencia pay and play; the rest get full scholarships.
Sudeva FC are an all-Indian team though four foreign players are allowed as per the I-League rules. Their senior players have had the experience of playing for Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Jamshedpur FC and Bengaluru FC, and Mohammedan Sporting (captain Ajay Singh Rawat is a former Sporting striker). The team has eight Sudeva academy graduates. Their first team will be coached by Bhutanese Chencho Dorji, who did most of his coaching licence courses in Japan and has been with the team since 2019.
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Rawat, 31, is looking forward to taking on his former club. Asked whether the bio-bubble for the I-League would be a challenge for the players, the Sudeva skipper said the team has been in a bio-bubble for the past two months and is used to it. "It will be the same for us when the tournament starts. It's not a challenge. In fact, it gives us an opportunity to spend time with each other and bond well, and get to know each other."
Dorji emphasises that his team is not here to make up numbers. “We will have a good season. To finish in the top 6 will be our aim. It is the best place for us," he said. The top six, as per new rules and format of the I-League, will form group A and fight for the title. The last five will be part of group B, with the bottom two facing relegation. However, if Sudeva FC or Indian Arrows end up at the bottom of the pile they will not be relegated.
Having an all-Indian team not only has a bearing on the cost but also helps the team exploit the immunity it has got from being relegated in its first season. Said Dorji, "Yes, we will take the advantage coming in with a young team. It will be a chance to showcase Indian talent. This immunity will encourage us to go forward in the League."
Sudeva FC's ultimate aim, per its founders, is to be part of the glitzy Indian Super League.
