CITY FOOTBALL GROUP (CFG) will no longer be associated with Mumbai City FC, the Indian Super League (ISL) club has informed the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
An AIFF official told Hindustan Times on Wednesday that the former ISL champions had formally communicated a “change in shareholding”. According to the official, CFG’s stake will be bought out by the club.
In November 2019, CFG, whose portfolio includes Manchester City and spans 13 clubs across five continents, acquired a 65 per cent stake in Mumbai City FC. Although clubs such as ATK and Bengaluru FC have had partnerships with Atlético Madrid and Rangers FC respectively, Mumbai City FC were the only ISL side to be fully integrated into an international multi-club network.
A Mumbai City FC official said that there have been no operational changes following CFG’s exit and confirmed that the first team continues to train as planned. On Wednesday, a club representative also attended a meeting in New Delhi to discuss possible timelines and formats for the upcoming ISL season.
During CFG’s tenure, Mumbai City FC enjoyed a highly successful period, winning the ISL Shield and Cup twice. All three head coaches appointed under the CFG era, Sergio Lobera, Des Buckingham and Petr Kratky, delivered silverware while establishing an attractive style of play.
The club’s squad continues to feature several Indian internationals, including Lallianzuala Chhangte, Akash Mishra, Brandon Fernandes, Valpuia and Vikram Partap Singh. Among the overseas contingent are experienced names such as Tiri, Jorge Ortiz, Jorge Pereyra Díaz and Jon Toral.
