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Hall, asked about Chikawali’s performance in the last 10 days of training, said: “I wanted to see this 19-year-old defender after I learnt from his CV that he has donned the Nigeria shirt in the Under-17 level. Having seen his deft touches and rock-solid defending abilities and his game in the air, let me predict that top Indian clubs will run after this boy after at the end of the I-League qualifiers.”
The British coach, who was also Pune FC’s coach last season as well, is expecting his boys to qualify for the I-League next season. He has plenty of belief in the mixture of youth and experience in his team.
“We have experienced players like S Venkatesh, Rauf Khan, custodian Balaji, and then we have Siaram Govin, the midfielder of Indian origin from Mauritius. We also have energetic young players. We have also roped in Nigerian striker Odinaka Godson, who looked impressive in the team selection trials alongside 15 foreign players last week.”
Pune FC has been pooled with three teams from New Delhi and Sesa-Goa for the I-League qualifiers. Two top teams from each of the three groups will move into the Super League of qualifiers and then four top teams will qualify for the elite I-League.
Interestingly, Pune FC’s quick rise has much to do with the management’s professional attitude. The club has already made some sound financial and promotional tie-ups with prominent corporate groups. According to the club’s CEO Chirag Tanna, Nike has come forward with gear for all the players. A Pune-based reputed gym company has signed an agreement, letting the club’s players to make use of its facilities. A Maharashtra-based music channel has also been roped in for promotional activities. The Pune FC CEO reckons that these tie-ups will help the management to bring in sponsorship for the team. The club is even planning to launch an academy soon.
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