Table of Contents
Introduction
Bunkerhill Sports Management Group is a prominent sports management company that promotes sports in India. The Gurgaon-based company joined Mohammedan Sporting as the club’s main investor three years ago. But they do not seem happy with the club’s administrative activities and plan to dissociate its venture from the century-old club. However, Bunkerhill is not going away from Indian football. The company is going to introduce its own new club named, Bunkerhill Haryana FC. The company has already submitted the biddings officially to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to take part in the qualifiers of the elite I-league this year.
The New Design
Bunkerhill has already set up a football ‘center of excellence’ in Gurgaon which consists of two practice grounds and one full-sized ground. The company’s chairman Deepak Singh revealed,
“We are going through a series of serious discussions with the Russian Football Federation, and following their advice, our club is going to make collaboration with a Russian Premier Club. Not only, we will rope in their footballers and coaches for our senior team in the I-League, our endeavor on youth development programs including the foundation of more ‘centers of excellence’ in the country’s four zones will be guided by the Russian Club and its academy. We choose Haryana to launch our football team as there is no professional football team from Haryana that is participating in I-League.”
The Dissatisfaction
Deepak Singh however is not happy with the Mohammedan Sporting administration. He accused the club’s top brass of their unprofessional attitude in maneuvering the administration.
Singh explained saying,
“We have invested nearly Rs 30 crores in the last three years and now they are offering 50 percent of the share. We need 75 percent of the share. Most of the I-League clubs are hugely expanding their budget. So if we have to increase the budget then how should we be satisfied with 50 percent of the shares? Secondly, we need to control the power of the club’s youth development program officially. I have been asking for it last two years and have not yet obtained it. They do not understand football and the continuous changes in the game. They only want money and buy foreign players to become champions in a tournament like I-League. Additionally, they did not listen to us, participating in the tournament in Odisha only a couple of days before the start of the I-League. The third important factor is when we are getting such an opportunity to build up our football club, and youth development programs then why we will spend money for a club that does not believe in modernization and transformation?”
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