Churchill Brothers aim high after league success

Dubai: After guiding Churchill Brothers to their second I-League title last week, technical director Subhash Bhowmick has turned his sights on winning the AFC Cup.

“As a coach, I don’t intend to decorate my CV with I-League titles. Given a chance, if any team puts confidence in me, I want to win the AFC Cup for an Indian club,” Bhowmick said.

“People may laugh but I think it’s possible. You need to have the time and you need to keep the players in the right shape and frame of mind.”

Bhowmick previously led East Bengal to Asean Club Cup glory in 2003. “At that time there were sceptics around, but we made it possible. So winning an Asian title stays my aim,” he said.

Churchill Brothers were crowned champions for the first time since 2009 following their 1-1 draw at home in Vasco against Mohun Bagan.

The draw took their points tally to 52 with a match in hand. Pune FC were the only team challenging the Goan outfit, but Churchill enjoyed a better head-to-head record.

“At the start of the season, I never believed that this team would become champions. It was at best a middle-class family, but teamwork elevated us to the aristocrat level,” Bhowmick said.

“Fitness and sticking together stayed my philosophy. Football is a team game. Right from the top to the bottom level, everyone has to share the workload and work sincerely. If they try to give the best they have, results are bound to come. We win together, we lose together.”

Bhowmick roped in ageing players like Tomba Singh and Sandip Nandy with the belief that their experience would deliver. “Quality never dies. I knew if I was able to show them their path, motivate them and was able to bring them back to their fitness level, they would be assets. And they did,” he said.

“I will always believe that my players are my God. They are my strength, they are my weakness. I need to instill in them a belief. If we sink, we sink together — if we win, we win together.”

Churchill Brothers had to put up with the mid-season departure of Bilal Najjarine and Akram Moghrabi. Added to this, Brazilian workhorse Beto was injured, but they roped in Sunil Chhetri and Afghan international Belal Arezou, who both settled in quickly.

“The best part is that he [Chhetri] scored crucial goals, very crucial ones. He scored when we needed him to score. That makes him important,” Bhowmick said.