KOLKATA: Gurgaon-based Bunkerhill Private Limited, which in October 2020 had taken a 50% stake in Mohammedan Sporting Club (MSC), on Friday unveiled the new jersey, team, international coach, website and theme song for the iconic Kolkata club ahead of the football season 2021-22.
The unveiling was conducted at an event here in the presence of Bunkerhill promoters Dipak Kumar Singh and Aditya Raj and MSC sr vice president Amiruddin Bobby, along with other prominent personalities.
Among the key highlights of the event was the unveiling of the new team jersey by Bhaskar Ganguli of the unbeaten eleven of 1981 Mohammedan Sporting club in Calcutta Football League as he handed over the jersey to the present captain of MSC Nikola Stojanovic in the presence of team stalwarts like Alok Mukhejee, Prasun Banerjee, Prasanta Banejee, Manas Bhattacharya, Bidesh Basu with a promise to revisit the history of 1981 once again in 2021 league to be played in Kolkata.
Felicitation of 1981 winning team members of CFL was a nostalgic moment and a fitting tribute to its yesteryears footballers who had contributed for the prestigious club.
The new team with Mohammedan Sporting Club’s new head coach Andrey Alekseyevich Chernyshov, Trinidadian ace Marcus Joseph, along with the other players, were introduced for the first time Friday. The gaffer is a Russian citizen and a UEFA Pro Licensed Coach who comes in with coaching experience in seven countries. It will be the 53-year-old’s first stint in India. He has more than two decades of coaching experience at club and international level. Chernyshov was the manager of Russia at Under-21 level and has also worked at numerous clubs like Spartak Moscow, Dinamo Tbilisi, Vitebsk, Dynamo Bryansk and Akzhayik.
Speaking on the transformation that happened in Mohammedan Sporting Club since Bunkerhill’s investment last year, Mr. Dipak Kumar Singh, Director, Bunkerhill said “Our vision for MSC is to ensure that they not only win the Calcutta Football League & I-League but also play and win the top league of India – ISL.
“We are delighted that we have invested in a well established entity whose legacy is more than a century old. Our commitment to bring back the glory of MSC is well portrayed in the developments that took place in the club right from bringing in the best international coach who comes with experience of coaching at the highest level in various leagues and countries, best squad of fit, fresh players, experienced sport nutritionist to enhance performance, recovery and health, getting professional training & fitness partner on board, new revamped website etc. to ensure all round upliftment of MSC.”
Speaking about their future plans, Singh added: “Bunkerhill is also in talks with Indian football clubs & foreign clubs for mergers and acquisitions.”
Aditya Raj, speaking on the occasion, stated: “The reason we are bullish about our investment in sports is because the coming decades is going to witness huge development in the Indian sports arena with massive promotion of sports training & infrastructure in India.
“India, with its record tally of 7 medals at the Tokyo Olympics, will witness a paradigm shift in India’s sporting journey. We are delighted to announce the new promising squad of the iconic MSC club and wish to achieve our targets for the new season. Our commitment to uplift new talent and the club will continue undeterred.”
Danish Iqbal, general secretary of Mohammedan Sporting Club, commented: “We will love to see our beloved club do not only good in the upcoming Calcutta Football League, but also wish to see them make a podium finish in the I–League.
“We are indebted to our new partner BunkerHill Private Limited, who had given the more than century old club a new impetus and new insight with their scientific approach and excellent strategic inputs. We look forward for a long relationship with them to build a robust football infrastructure in Kolkata.”
