New club Mumbai FC has made a splash against football majors in its first league games.
Imagine a newly promoted football club entering the national football league only to find its first four fixtures against names like East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Mahindra United and FC Dempo. A David-versus-Goliath scenario.
Yet Mumbai FC has defied all the odds. In its first two games it has beaten both the Kolkata powerhouses — Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. The club is being dubbed a “giant-killer”, and it is the surprise package of the I-League so far.
But the Mumbai FC people are keeping their feet firmly on the ground. “When we saw the fixture list it was as if we were in the middle of an earthquake,” says Henry Menezes, general manager, Mumbai FC.
Its been only 15 months since Mumbai FC appeared on the horizon with the financial backing of the Essel Group. It won the second division last year and had only a little time in which to get top-notch players onto the team. “When we got promoted, most of the top players were already traded in the transfer market,” says Menezes.
Under David Booth, the head coach of Mumbai FC and a former national coach of both Myanmar and Brunei, the team has surprised everyone with its performance. “We have the right blend of youth and experience in our team, which has shown in our performances,” Booth says.
There has been a lot of debate over whether the influx of too many foreigners has deprived home-grown players of their chance to play for the top clubs. Mumbai FC has a few foreign players on the books — that is, three from Ghana who have experience of playing in the Olympics as well as the African Nations Cup. “Foreign players add a lot to their team and have been great for us, but our focus is on home-grown players.” Mumbai FC signed three U-21 local players at the start of the season and has hotshot Indian striker Abhishek Yadav in the ranks.
Menezes, who himself was an Indian international of his time, has seen the ups and downs of Indian football and knows how important it is to build the right platform. “In the past there have been clubs which have made a great start but faded into obscurity. We don’t want to repeat those mistakes.” With the backing of a corporate house like Essel, it looks unlikely that Mumbai FC will take that road. It has sound financial backing and the vision to promote football, as well as to make a name for itself in the league.
However, the club feels that it is on-field success that will drive future growth and success. The short-term target of the club is to remain in the I-league, and anything above that will be a bonus. Long-term targets include building its own stadium, as well as academies at the national and international level.
Talk like this has been heard many times before. Other clubs come in with gusto, yet fail to deliver on the initial promise. Menezes, however, is confident that Mumbai FC will become an established name in the game of football. “We do have a vision, and we believe that we will stick to it, as we are in the game for a long-haul.”
But even though clubs like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are household names, their popularity remains only in Kolkata. “There is nothing wrong in that,” says Menezes, explaining that India lacks community-based teams which people can relate to. Mumbai FC will give Mumbaikars the chance to root for a football team of their own, a team they can relate to.
Recently, Mumbai FC organised a competition called Junior Champs for which, the club claims, over 13,000 children turned up. Plans are underway to get their own stadium and get a steady revenue stream in place.
It has been a dream start, and it has taken everyone by surprise — both in the club and outside. Now Mumbai FC want to build on this and make sure that they are no mere flash in the pan. Menezes knows it’s a tough road ahead, but with solid backing and a good team, the signs are that Mumbai FC may just be the real deal.
