I League focus: Bharat FC

I-League focus: Pune’s Bharat FC

The reality of Indian football sets in as the glitz and glam of ISL are over and the murky and shabby reality of I-League sets in. The league will commence from January is already trying to ride on ISL’s popularity.

We’re focusing today on Bharat FC. Bharat F is a Pune based professional club owned by Kalyani group. They are planning to go the extravagant as they are splurging and making the right noises in the transfer market.

They have recently signed two of the seasoned pros of Indian football, goalkeeper Shahinlal Meloly and striker Manjeet Singh on season-long deals. Manjeet Singh was signed from Churchill Brothers while Meloly was a free agent. They are planning to stay in the league by promoting local talent.

Amit Kalyani, CEO of the Kalyani Group said,

“The very ethos of Bharat FC is rooted in being a People’s club. It is India’s club based in Pune. And this philosophy is instrumental in giving its elements to the club-crest and its baseline “Together. Forever. Triumphant.”

“Though we are the Puneri team, the idea of spreading the magic and joy of football all through our country was foremost on our minds. Bharat FC aims not just to be Pune’s favourite team but one that all of India can identify with and follow,” he added.

Kalyani said that they will look to adopt best practices in order to ensure the club’s success in the long run.

“We will focus on all aspects of football and going forward we will look at further enhancing the youth development and grass root programs. We are looking at bringing talent from India and abroad and adopt best practices for building a strong foundation for Bharat FC,” he shared his vision.

Stuart Watkiss, head coach, spoke on the objectives the club hopes to achieve in their debut season as they wish to play an attractive brand of football.

“Building a club from scratch, assembling a competitive team, playing attractive and effective football are our current goals and we will be going all out to achieve them,” he mentioned.