I-League: The Churchill Brothers players who are on the verge of history

Churchill Brothers could seal this season’s I-League title tomorrow if they get a point at home against Mohun Bagan. It will be Churchill’s second-ever league crown and many of their players are also eyeing individual pieces of history. Sportskeeda takes a look.

The Five Club

Sandip Nandy

The 38-year-old is on the verge of having the same number of league titles as Dempo because this will be his fifth league success. Sandip will also become the first player to win the Indian league with four different clubs. Incredibly, his first league title came 13 years ago with Mohun Bagan and then he won back-to-back titles with East Bengal in 2003 and 2004. Sandip’s last league triumph came with Mahindra United in 2005-06 and after a seven-year wait, the veteran goalkeeper looks set to join the ‘Five Club’. The custodian was denied a new contract by East Bengal last season but when everyone thought he was finished, Churchill Brothers signed him. Sandip has repaid the faith that the Goan club showed in him by keeping the maximum clean sheets this season and the fine form also saw him returning to the Indian national team.

Beto

Photo Credit: AIFF Media

The Brazilian will also be lifting his fifth league title as he won four with Dempo in a highly successful spell there. Beto will also become the first foreigner to win the league crown in the I-League era (since 2007) with two different clubs. The 34-year-old recently revealed in an interview, that it was his dream to replicate the success at Dempo with another Indian club and he is a draw away from achieving that with Churchill Brothers. Beto has been instrumental this season with 13 goals and six assists and is expected to start tomorrow for the first time in a few months after recovering from an injury.

First Indian

Tomba Singh

Tomba Singh (extreme right) during his Salgaocar days

While Beto could become the first foreigner to win the I-League (since 2007) with two different teams, Tomba is set to be the first Indian to achieve that feat. The Manipuri midfielder was a key figure of Karim Bencherifa’s Salgaocar side that won the league in 2010-11. He joined Churchill Brothers this season at the age of 30 and thus many people didn’t consider it to be a wise move, but Tomba’s experience proved to be vital for the Churchill midfield. The 2003 AIFF Player of the Year thoroughly deserves to win his second league title and a place in history.

Old boys

Bineesh Balan (right)

Bineesh Balan, Raju Yumnam and Lalit Thapa are the only surviving members from Churchill Brothers’ first-ever title winning squad in 2008-09. That was Bineesh’s first season at Churchill after joining from Tata Football Academy (TFA) and thus he didn’t get much action. But this season, the Kerala-born player has netted five goals including a hattrick against Sporting Clube de Goa in December. He is the only Indian player to bag a treble this season. Versatile defender Raju was backup to both right back Naoba Singh and left back Robert Lalthlamuana in 2008-09, but has been a key figure in this campaign making 19 appearances, playing mostly as a left back. Lalit was second-choice goalkeeper after Arindam Bhattacharya four years ago but has been third-choice this term and hasn’t made any appearance in the I-League.

Foreigner firsts

Henri Antchouet

Henri Antchouet (Gabon), Lamine Tamba (Senegal) and Balal Arezou (Afghanistan) will become the first players from their respective countries to win the topmost prize in Indian football. Striker Antchouet has an incredible return of 13 goals in 22 matches despite not always being a regular and the 33-year-old Gabon international will get to lift his first I-League crown in his second season in India. Central defender Tamba and striker Arezou arrived in the winter transfer window with the former giving some strong performances at the heart of the defence. Arezou hasn’t found the back of the net yet but has done a decent job despite mostly playing in an unfamiliar wide midfield role.

Finally a league title

Photo Credit: Churchill Brothers Media

Churchill Brothers is Sunil Chhetri’s sixth different top-flight Indian club and finally he is set to win his first league title. Sunil had come close in the National Football League (NFL) with JCT in 2006-07, finishing runners-up and even played a big part in Dempo’s title challenge in 2009-10 before leaving in the middle of the season for USA’s Kansas City Wizards. Dempo had won the title that season but Sunil missed out on the celebrations but this time he can finally add the I-League to his CV. After a frustrating time with Sporting Lisbon ‘B’, the Indian captain joined Churchill Brothers on loan in February and has contributed with three important strikes besides setting up a few more in the title run-in.

Revival of a legend

Photo Credit: AIFF Media

Besides the players above, Churchill Brothers technical director Subhash Bhowmick is also set for a piece of history as he will become the first coach to win the Indian league crown with two different clubs. Bhowmick had famously won consecutive titles with East Bengal in 2003 and 2004 but his reputation has taken a beating in recent years for matters both on and off the field. Winning another league trophy was the only way this former India international could have restored his reputation and now he is a point away from achieving the same. The legendary tactician will also become the first coach to win three league titles after Armando Colaco, who won five with Dempo.