Churchill Brothers' tryst with destiny

For Churchill Brothers, the long wait is over. This family owned club from the Varca village in Goa made their tryst with destiny in the 25^th year of their existence when they annexed the 6^th I-league, setting several new records in the process. They became the second low-budget team after Salgaocar in 2010-11 to win the I-League. In the 4^th I-League, Salgaocar had no Indian player who cost more than Rs. 30 lakh for the season. Churchill Brothers also won the 6^th I-League with a low budget team estimated at Rs. 10 crores.

At least four teams – Prayag United, East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Dempo had bigger budget squads (in the range of Rs. 14—18 crores) in the 6^th I-League.

They scored a club record tally of 56 goals and procured a record 56 points in 26 matches. Their charming and dynamic CEO, Ms. Valanka Alemao, a law graduate from Pune and a social activist became the first woman to guide a football team to a national title in Indian football. Their technical director Subash Bhowmick became the first coach to win the national title with two different clubs. He led East Bengal to back to back titles in 2003 and 2004. Brazilian midfielder Beto became the first foreigner to win the I-League with two different clubs, Dempo in 2008 and 2010 and now with Churchill Brothers in 2012. Legendary Brazilian Jose Ramirez Baretto had won the National football League titles with two clubs, Mohun Bagan in 2000 and 2002 and with Mahindra United in 2006. The ex-international midfielder Tomba Singh (whose career was revived by Subash Bhowmick) became the first Indian footballer to win the I-league with two different clubs; he had earlier won it with Salgaocar in 2010-11.

When Churchill Brothers had won the 2^nd I-league in 2009, they exorcised the ghosts of the past – 1997, 2002 and 2008 – whewn they finished as runners up by faltering in the last round of matches. By winning this title, they have established themselves as a major force and the most consistent team in Indian football. In the six editions held so far, their lowest position was fourth in the 4th I-League, 2010-11. They have twice been champions and twice runners up (2008, 2010) and in the last season finished third. The club has also improved their infrastructure and facilities for their players. At the behest of Bhowmick, they have constructed a fine club house amidst sylvan surroundings, where the bulk of players stay in comfort.

In 2009 Churchill Brothers finished with a record tally of 53 goals in 22 matches. Lethal striker Odafa Onyeka Okolie,with an impressive tally of 26 goals, finished as top-scorer for the third year in a row. Their Serbian coach, Zoran Djordevic, became the first foreigner to guide a team to success in the national league in India. In 2013, they won because of teamwork and not just the exploits of a lethal striker. Thirty five of the 53 goals they scored were by foreigners. Thirteen goals were scored by Brazilian playmaker Beto, the Gabonese striker Henri Antchouet scored 12 goals and before he left, Lebanese striker Akram Moghrabi scored 10 goals. But their Indian players also contributed to their success. India’s skipper Sunil Chettri ,who joined in February on loan from Sporting Lisbon scored the vital equalizer against Mohun Bagan, which clinched the league title, the match winner against Pune FC to end a five match winless streak and two brilliant goals against Dempo on April 17 to gain a vital point. Bineesh Balan scored a memorable hat-trick in the 8-4 win over Sporting Clube de Goa in a Round 11 clash on 16 December 2012. No wonder veteran technical director Subash Bhowmick said, “My team is my star. Till death, I won’t forget my players. They stuck around like glue.”

Team spirit, loyalty and above all the caring nature of owner Churchill Alemao and the professionalism of the CEO of Valanka were the motivating factors which inspired their success. Creditably, Churchill Alemao, Bhowmick and coach Mariano Dias managed to foster great team-spirit. This was exemplified by the phone call that Churchill Alemao received after clinching the I-League title with a 1-1 draw against Mohun Bagan. The congratulatory call was from Lebanon by their classy defender, Bilal Najjarine, who quit in the January transfer window due to a lucrative offer from a UAE club. Despite leaving, Najjarine spoke in a voice full of emotions. Long serving goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya had quit Churchill Brothers after a long stint with them and joined Mohun Bagan at the start of this season. Arindam not only joined the victory celebrations at Alemao’s mansion on May 7, but also gifted Valanka with her favourite sweet dish – six tins of the renowned rasgullas of KC Das. It is this family like atmosphere, which makes Churchill Brother’s tick.

To his credit, Bhowmick maintained an atmosphere of calm professionalism. He ensured that the team paid attention to detail and changed strategy whenever needed. The best example of changing tactics was in the second half in the deciding match against Mohun Bagan. Churchill Brothers were trailing by a solitary goal, when a visibly tiring Beto was replaced in the 65^th minute by the bustling Afghan striker Balal Arezou. The team switched to a 4-3-3 formation, with Arezou on the left, Sunil Chettri as striker and Henri Arnaud providing speed on the right. The ploy clicked and Churchill Brothers not only got the vital equaliser, but dominated proceedings and except for Bagan goalkeeper Shilton Paul’s heroics would have emerged winners.

Bhowmick also managed to cock a snook at his detractors as he replicated the success he obtained with East Bengal a decade ago. Many critics claimed that East Bengal won successive National league titles in 2003 and 2004 because of their star studded squad and not because of Bhowmick’s coaching. Now Bhowmick has had the last laugh as they way he has transformed Churchill Brothers is exemplary.

His greatest contribution was reviving the confidence of Sandip Nandy, Tomba Singh and Chettri who had been rejected by other clubs. East Bengal had felt Nandy was past his prime and not worth spending money on. Bhowmick let Nandy train with his first coach Gautam Sarkar (not the ex-international) and it worked wonders. Tomba had been dumped by Salgaocar but Bhowmick used him as an impact substitute creditably. During his stint with Sporting Lisbon, Chettri barely got any playing time and his confidence was revived by giving him a leadership role. Both Chettri and Beto were leaders on and off the pitch. They ensured their professionalism had an impact on their team-mates also.

Again it was Bhowmick who at the start of the season cajoled the Churchill Brothers management to retain the dashing Henri Arnaud as he felt his speed and work rate was exemplary. Bhowmick’s faith was justified as Arnaud with his devastating speed created many openings. Arnaud is now considered one of the best foreign strikers in India and is sought by many clubs. Bhowmick played the role of father figure to perfection, mediating with the management in case of a cash crunch and offering both solace and guidance. It is no wonder the players call him “Papa”.

Churchill Brothers are now the third club from Goa to annex the I-league title. Previous winners were Salgaocar (2010–11) and Dempo (2007-08, 2009-10, 2011-12). When Churchill Brothers first won the title in 2009, it heralded the dawn of a new era. Six to seven players from the North-East were invariably in their starting line up. It was for the first time that a team had won the national league, with so many players from Manipur and Mizoram in their starting line up, a trend seen in all their 22 matches. Their former international stopper back, Gourmangi Singh, who hails from Manipur, had then said that “our time has come”. This year their success is based on a clever blend of experience (Nandy, Beto, Chettri, Steven Dias, D. Ravannan and Denzil Franco) and youth (Ashley Fernandes, Bikramjit Singh, Bineesh Balan, Satish Singh, Sanjay Balmuchu, Jaison Vales and Naveen Sudhkaran).