Bharat
Full nameKalyani Bharat Football Club
Nickname(s)The Lions
Founded26 August 2014 (2014-08-26)
Dissolved2015 (2015)
GroundBalewadi Sports Complex
Capacity12,000
OwnerKalyani Group

Bharat Football Club (also known as Kalyani Bharat Football Club)[1] was an Indian professional football club based in Pune, Maharashtra. Founded in 2014,[2][3] the club usually competed in I-League, then top tier of Indian football league system.[4][5] The team was founded on 26 August 2014 by Kalyani Group as a direct-entry team into the I-League, making them the second direct-entry side in league history after Bengaluru FC.[3]

The name of the team, as well as their home stadium, the Balewadi Sports Complex, were officially announced on 23 November 2014.[6][7] But after a disappointing season in I-League the club withdrew and was eventually dissolved.[8][9]

History

In 2013, in a bid to increase the popularity of the I-League – India's top football league – the All India Football Federation approved the addition of teams into the league via bidding for a direct-entry slot.[10] The first two teams to be allowed into the I-League via direct-entry were Bengaluru FC and Mumbai Tigers but only Bengaluru FC played in the 2013–14 season.[11] Despite the failure of Mumbai Tigers, Bengaluru FC proved to be an amazing success for the I-League as the Bangalore club managed to bring in full-houses to all their matches as well as even win the league in their very first season.[12] This thus made the AIFF announce that they would be accepting bids for new direct-entry teams for the 2014–15 season.[13] On 26 August 2014, after the AIFF reviewed the bidders, they announced that Kalyani Group had won the right to start a direct-entry club for the 2014–15 season.[3]

After winning the bid for the team, in November 2014, Kalyani Group signed their first ever head coach for the football team in former Wolverhampton Wanderers player Stuart Watkiss.[14][15] They also appointed Stanley Rozario as assistant coach.[16][17] Kalyani Group then signed their first ever player on 10 November 2014 when New Zealand international Kris Bright signed for the club,[18] who also represented New Zealand at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[19] After making their first signings, the Kalyani Group officially announced the name of the club on 23 November 2014 as Bharat FC.[6]

The club started the season with two friendlies against Bombay Engineer Group, which they won 3–0, and the second one 5–0, courtesy two goals from Steven Dias and a goal each from Subhash Singh, Surojit Bose and Jayashelan Prasad.[20][21] In the last friendly before the season, Bharat FC played against Air India and managed a 2–2 draw with a goal each from Kris Bright and Gunashekar Vignesh.[22]

2014–15 I-League

The 2014–15 I-League was their first and only top flight season, they ever competed.[23][24] For their maiden season, The Lions signed experienced foreigners like Englishman Bobby Hassell, New Zealander Kris Bright. They rope in Beninese Romuald Boco as Marquee player, who earned 50 caps for his country.[25][26][27] Palestinian Omar Jarun was also signed in March 2015 for an 18-month deal completing the club's Asian player quota.[28][29][30][31]

In their first ever league match, the debutants held Dempo SC to a goalless draw.[32] Later they defeated giants Mohun Bagan AC by 1–0.[33] On 27 January 2015, Bright scored the first goal for his club, netting a 14th-minute goal against Royal Wahingdoh but they lost the game by 1–2.[34] Kris Bright emerged as the top goalscorer for Bharat with 6 goals in the league.

Bharat FC has competed in 20 matches in the league season and managed to win only 3 matches alongside 10 draws and 7 defeats. Thus the club finished at the bottom of the league table with 18 points, behind Dempo.[35] But they were not relegated as they had relegation immunity for two years.[36][37]

Colours and kits

During the club's first ever kit launch event on 2 January 2015, it was announced that the club's colours would be based on the team's motto, "Together, Forever and Triumphant", which are blue, red, and white.[38] The home kit was coloured in dark blue which stands for the "Peoples Football" while the away kit is predominantly red.[38] The club's third kit was coloured completely white with the colours blue and red running horizontally across the shirt. The red denotes "passion and vitality" while blue stands for "truth and loyalty".[38]

Ownership

Bharat FC was formed through an initiative by Kalyani Group, a privately held industrial group, headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra, India, that is focused in four primary sectors, viz. Engineering Steel, Automotive & Non-Automotive Components, Renewable Energy & Infrastructure and Specialty Chemicals.[39] Amit Kalyani was the club's first and only managing director.[40]

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2015 Nivia[41] Kalyani Group[41]

Stadium

Shiv Chatrapati Sports Complex on a matchday

When Bharat FC's name was announced, the Balewadi Sports Complex was also announced as the first ever stadium to be used by the club.[6] The stadium has a capacity of 12,000.[7] The team has stated their intention to eventually construct their own football stadium with Manjri being the initial looked at location for the stadium.[41]

Disfunction

The team was officially launched in November 2014,[42] but despite investing heavily, Bharat FC just managed to gain only 18 points from 20 games in the 2014–15 I-League season, finishing at the bottom.[43] The return on investment being abysmal, the club didn't see I-League as an economically viable investment anymore.[44][45] With minimal activity ahead of their second season and several staff, including CEO Suvrat Thatte, resigning, the Pune-based club only played one season in the I-League.[37][46]

Team records

Overall records

As of 5 January 2015
Season I-League Federation Cup Durand Cup AFC Top Scorer
P W L D GF GA Pts Position Player Goals
2014–15 20 4 6 10 13 28 18 11th — — — Kris Bright 6

Head Coach's Record

As of 6 January 2015
NameNationalityFromToPWDLGFGAWin%Ref.
Stuart Watkiss  England 4 November 2014 1 June 2015 20 4 6 10 13 28 020.00 [47]

Technical staffs

As of 6 January 2015
Position Name
Head coach England Stuart Watkiss
Assistant coach India Stanley Rozario
Fitness coach England Lindsay Davis[48]
Physiotherapist England Ian Farmery[49]

Notable players

For all former notable Bharat FC players with a Wikipedia article, see: Bharat FC players.

World Cup player

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Kalyani Bharat FC of India: club profile and info". Soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 22 June 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  2. ↑ Schöggl, Hans. "India — List of Foundation Dates". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Mazumdar, Rakhi. "Kalyani Group bags bid to launch team in I-league". Economic Times. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  4. ↑ Kalyani Bharat Football Club: profile and statistics. Archived 26 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine. worldfootball.net. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  5. ↑ "Rozario to assist Watkiss at Kalyani Group's Football Club – Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 "Kalyani Group names I-League team as 'Bharat FC'". Zee News. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Pune ISL franchise unveils team jersey". Zee News. Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  8. ↑ "I-League: Pune FC, Bharat FC have a week's time to appeal for exemption from club licensing criterion". goal.com. Archived from the original on 31 July 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  9. ↑ "I-League clubs Pune, Bharat FC planning to disband first team". The Indian Express. 19 August 2015. Archived from the original on 12 October 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  10. ↑ "AIFF clears two new teams for I-League". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. The Times of India. Archived from the original on 28 May 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  11. ↑ "Mumbai Tigers pull out of I-League". Zee News. Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  12. ↑ Sarbajna, Boudhayan. "Bengaluru FC's Success Story Opens The Door For More Franchisee Clubs in I-League". The Hard Tackle. Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  13. ↑ "AIFF to invite bids for new I-League teams". The Shillong Times. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  14. ↑ "I-League: Kalyani Group appoints Stuart Watkiss as head coach". IBN Live. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  15. ↑ "Gouramangi Singh is Bharat FC's latest catch". www.thehindu.com. The Hindu. 25 December 2014. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  16. ↑ "Bharat FC Launched – Shillong Lajong FC | Official Website". Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  17. ↑ "Stanly Rozario becomes Kalyani Group-owned Team's Asst Coach | Hero I-League". Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  18. 1 2 Mitra, Atanu. "Kalyani Group rope in Kris Bright". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  19. ↑ "SQUAD". Bharat FC. Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  20. ↑ "Bharat FC tackle Air India in final preseason friendly". bharatfc.com. 16 January 2015. Archived from the original on 22 January 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  21. ↑ "Bharat FC vs BEG - 5–0 - all goals". YouTube. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  22. ↑ "Bharat FC close preseason friendlies with 2–2 draw". bharatfc.com. Pune. 16 January 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  23. ↑ "Kashyap's side continue their perfect run". goal.com. Goal. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  24. ↑ Bali, Rahul (28 April 2014). "Mohammedan Sporting relegated from I-League". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  25. ↑ "Boco joins Bharat FC as marquee player". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  26. ↑ "Bharat FC acquires Boco of Benin". business-standard.com. Business Standard. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  27. ↑ "Romuald Boco confirmed as Bharat FC's marquee signing". Bharat FC. 20 January 2015. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  28. ↑ "Palestine international Omar Jarun becomes Bharat FC's fourth foreign player". 13 March 2015. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  29. ↑ Shah, Harsh (13 March 2015). "Bharat FC sign Palestine international Omar Jarun". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  30. ↑ Bharat FC [@BharatFC] (9 June 2015). "#BharatFC's Omar Jarun has announced his retirement from professional football! Thanks for everything BIG O! go well!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 5 March 2016 – via Twitter.
  31. ↑ "Mumbai v Bharat Live Commentary & Result, 30/05/15, I-League | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  32. ↑ "The Lions' debut ends in a stalemate". Goal. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  33. ↑ Bharat FC shock Mohun Bagan AC in the I-League. Archived 9 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine. india.com. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  34. ↑ "Kashyap's side continue their perfect run". Goal. Archived from the original on 17 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  35. ↑ "2014–15 I-League fixtures and points table". indiafooty.com. Indian Football Network. Archived from the original on 16 November 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  36. ↑ "East Bengal — Bharat FC Preview: Lions' pride travel in search of first win of the season". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  37. 1 2 "A look back into the dysfunctional clubs in the past decade of Indian football". The Bridge. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  38. 1 2 3 "New I-League side Bharat FC launches official kits". Times of India. Archived from the original on 18 April 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  39. ↑ Kumar, V. Rishi. "Kalyani Group to set up Missile MRO in Hyderabad". @businessline. Archived from the original on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  40. ↑ "New I-League side Bharat FC launches official kits". Times of India. Archived from the original on 18 April 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  41. 1 2 3 Viswanath, G. "High hopes for Bharat FC". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  42. ↑ "Kalyani Group names I-League team as 'Bharat FC'". Zee News. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  43. ↑ "After Shillong United shut shop, a look at clubs that withdrew from the I-League in the last 5 years". scroll.in. Scroll. 1 August 2018. Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  44. ↑ "Royal Wahingdoh FC pull out of I-League, 3rd club to do so this year". news18.com. New Delhi: CNN News18 Sports. Press Trust of India. 21 November 2015. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  45. ↑ "Royal Wahingdoh FC pull out of I-League, 3rd club to do so this year". sports.ndtv.com. New Delhi: NDTV Sports. Press Trust of India. 21 November 2015. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  46. ↑ "Pune FC and Bharat FC closing down is the beginning of the end of I-League". firstpost.com. First Post. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  47. ↑ "Bharat 2014–15: Fixtures & Results". Bharat F.C. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016.
  48. ↑ Hero I-League [@ILeagueOfficial] (15 December 2014). "JUST IN: Englishman Lindsay Davis has been roped in as the fitness and conditioning coach of @BharatFC. #ILeague http://t.co/IUNDgyorUN" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2020 – via Twitter.
  49. ↑ Bharat FC [@BharatFC] (17 December 2014). "Ian Farmery joins #BharatFC as the first team's physiotherapist. Ian joins us from Barnsley FC. http://t.co/6mDqtVKaNG" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2020 – via Twitter.
  50. ↑ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "NFT player — National team & Club appearances: Bright, Kris". national-football-teams.com. National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 3 June 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2023.

Further reading

Bibliography

  • Kapadia, Novy (2017). Barefoot to Boots: The Many Lives of Indian Football. Penguin Random House. ISBN 978-0-143-42641-7.
  • Sharma, Nikhil Paramjit; Gupta, Shantanu (4 February 2019). India's Football Dream. SAGE Publications India. ISBN 9789353283063. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.

Other sources

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