Rajasthan United
Full nameRajasthan United Football Club
Nickname(s)Desert Warriors[1]
Short nameRUFC
Founded2018 (2018)
(as Jaipur Engineering College and Research Centre CF)
GroundVidyadhar Nagar Stadium (proposed)
Capacity6,000
OwnerR.U.F.C. Sports Private Limited
Head coachPushpender Kundu
LeagueI-League
2022–23I-League, 9th of 12
WebsiteClub website

Rajasthan United Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Founded in 2018 as JECRC CF, the academy team participated in inaugural edition of R-League A Division in 2019, and clinched the title. In 2020, JECRC CF was rebranded as Rajasthan United.[2] The club is currently competing in I-League, the second tier of Indian football league system.[3]

Rajasthan United won the 2021 I-League Qualifiers and thus became the first ever club from the state to qualify for I-League.[4][5]

History

Rajasthan United FC is the premier professional football club based in Jaipur. The club was founded in 2018 by an engineering student Kamal Singh Saroha, with his colleagues and friends as JECRC CF (Jaipur Engineering College and Research Centre), and re-branded as Rajasthan United in 2020,[2][6] after the introduction of Rajat Mishra and Swapnil Dhaka as the co-founders.[7] In its first year of inception, they managed to win the R-League A Division.[8][9] In the second season, United came out as runners-up and earned a spot for the I-League qualifiers.

Players and personnel of Rajasthan United at the New Bengaluru Football Stadium in Karnataka, during I-League Qualifiers in 2021.

In collaboration with Witty International School, they set up its residential football academy in Bhilwara.[10] In 2021, United were crowned champions of the I-League Qualifiers, thus becoming the first club from Rajasthan to qualify for the I-League.[11][12][13] In December, the club appointed Spanish manager Francesc Bonet as new head coach.[14][15]

Rajasthan United player (in red), in action against Aizawl on a matchday of I-League, at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in March 2022.

On 26 December 2021, they made their I-League debut against RoundGlass Punjab with only nine players, in which they were defeated by 2–0. United later roped in former La Liga player Mauro dos Santos of Argentina.[16] The club reached championship stage of 2021–22 I-League and ended their campaign as sixth in league table.[17]

Rajasthan United director of football Kamal Singh Saroha in 2023 during an I-League match at the Rajib Gandhi Stadium in Aizawl

Rajasthan United began their 2022–23 season campaign at the 131st edition of Durand Cup[18][19] on 20 August with a magnificent 3–2 win against Indian Super League side ATK Mohun Bagan.[20] The club moved to the quarter-finals, defeating Indian Navy in the final group game, but was eliminated losing 3–1 to Hyderabad at the end.[21] In November, the club reached final of Baji Rout Cup in Odisha, in which they clinched title defeating Churchill Brothers in penalty shootout.[22][23] When the 2022–23 I-League began, the club again faced Churchill Brothers in their first match, and earned three points with 2–1 win.[24] In December, the club participated in Dausa Gold Cup in Rajasthan,[25] in which they finished as runners-up after 1–0 defeat to FC Kerala.[26]

Stadiums

Rajasthan United FC uses Rajasthan University Sports Complex in Jaipur as their home ground, and sometimes the Witty Sports Club ground.[27] In October 2022, the club announced that they will use Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi for matches of 2022–23 I-League, as the traditional home and away games format was reinstalled.[28] Before 2021, in few matches of the state league, they used Sawai Mansingh Stadium.[29]

In April 2023, Rajasthan United announced that the club will use Vidyadhar Nagar Stadium in Jaipur in the 2023–24 I-League season.[30]

Crest, colours & kits

The club's crest features historical monuments of Rajasthan, Maharana Pratap and Thar desert in background with R.U.F.C. monogram.[31] It symbolises rich and royal culture and heritage of Rajasthan.

Ravi Kumar Punia in official away kit of Rajasthan United in 2021

Club colours are maroon, white and pink.

Kit manufacturer and shirt sponsors

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2019–2020 AIO Sports[32] Fire1on1[33]
2021 MISTK
2021–2022 Ambition Sportswear Purnima University[34]
2022–2023 Omtex Sports[35]
2023–present AIO Sports[36] AU Small Finance Bank

Players

First-team squad

As of 31 July 2023

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK India IND Sachin Jha
2 DF India IND Naresh Singh
3 DF India IND Suraj Negi
4 DF India IND Banpynkhrawnam Nongkhlaw
5 DF India IND Amritpal Singh
8 MF India IND Zoma Vanlalzahawhma
9 FW India IND Amit Godara
10 MF India IND Ragav Gupta
11 MF India IND William Neihsial
12 GK India IND Anant Shah
13 MF India IND Jacob John Kattookaren
14 FW India IND Alister Anthony
16 MF India IND Jirjar Terang
17 MF India IND Lalchungnunga Chhangte (on loan from Hyderabad)
18 MF Ghana GHA Ibrahim Moro
19 DF India IND Sairuat Kima
20 MF India IND Lalremruata HP
21 DF India IND Gautam Virwani
22 FW Ghana GHA Richardson Denzell
24 MF India IND Yash Tripathi
28 DF India IND Md Fayazuddin Shah
No. Pos. Nation Player
32 FW India IND Owais Khatib
33 DF India IND Sanit Dhadwal
42 GK India IND Gaurav Kumar Singh
50 DF Ghana GHA Matthew Dunga
71 DF India IND Sanwil D'Costa
88 MF India IND Lalhunmawia Chhakchhuak
93 DF India IND Hardik Bhatt (captain)
— MF India IND Gou Kuki
— MF India IND Pravitto Raju
— DF India IND Lalbiakzuala
— MF India IND Zothanpuia
— DF India IND Mohit Singh Verito
— FW India IND Sawma Tlangte
— FW India IND Syed Suhail Pasha
— FW India IND Chirag Bhujel
27 DF Brazil BRA Jefferson Oliveira
— FW Brazil BRA Dário Júnior
— FW Brazil BRA Paulo Vyctor
— DF India IND Novin Gurung
— DF India IND Shouvik Ghosh
43 FW Ghana GHA Richard Gadze
— GK India IND Rafique Ali Sardar

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— FW India IND Lalremsanga Fanai (at Mohammedan until 31 May 2024)

Personnel

Current technical staff

As of 14 September 2022
Role Name Refs.
Head coach India Pushpender Kundu
Assistant coach India Prashant J Singh
Technical Director Italy Alexander Garini
Strength and conditioning coach India Pushpendra Singh
Goalkeeping coach India Joel Prabhakar Raj
Physio India Ashwin Kumar P.
Team manager India Nikhil Shetty

Records and statistics

Overall records

As of 3 April 2023
Season Division Teams Position Avg. attendance Super Cup Durand Cup AFC Champions League AFC Cup
2021 I-League 2nd Division 9 1st 🔒 Closed Doors

▼

 Did not participate

▼

 Did not participate

▼

 Did not qualify

▼

 Did not qualify

▼

2021–22 I-League 13 6th
2022–23 12 9th 1,369 Qualifying-playoff Quarter-finals

Season by season

As of 3 April 2023
⭐Top scorer in division
🇮🇳Top Indian scorer in division
Season League Finals Super Cup Other competitions Top scorer(s)
Division Pld W D L GF GA Pts Pos Durand Cup Player(s) Goals
2021 I-League 2nd Division 6 3 3 0 8 4 12 Champions — Did not participate

▼

 Did not participate

▼

 India Sukhjit Singh
India Aman Thapa		 2
2021–22 I-League 18 5 7 6 16 16 22 6th — Uzbekistan Sardor Jakhonov
India Alocious Muthayyan
Spain Pedro Manzi
India Pritam Singh		 3
2022–23 22 7 4 11 19 32 25 9th — Qualifying-playoff Quarter-finals Kyrgyzstan Aidar Mambetaliev 4

Managerial record

As of 3 April 2023
NameNationalityFromToPWDLGFGAWin%Ref.
Vikrant Sharma  India 2020 2021 6 3 3 0 8 4 050.00 [37]
Francesc Bonet  Spain 2021 2022 18 5 7 6 16 16 027.78 [7]
Pushpender Kundu  India 2022 till now 28 9 6 13 28 44 032.14 [1]

Notable players

Past and present internationals

The players below have senior/youth international caps for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed, represented their countries before or after playing for Rajasthan United.[38]

Honours

League

Cup

RUFC youth

Youth football is practiced in Rajasthan United FC, and their U17 team for the first time, took part in the 2022–23 U-17 Youth Cup in January 2023.[55][56] The club launched a residential football academy in Bhilwara, Rajasthan, in 2021, collaborating with Poornima University.[57][58]

Honours

  • Rajasthan U-17 Senior Open Tournament
    • Runners-up (1): 2022–23[59]

Affiliated club(s)

The following club is currently affiliated/associated with Rajasthan United FC:

  • India Kohima Town Club (2022–present)[60]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The tournament is known fully as "All India Late Captain Pratap Singh Memorial Football Tournament; The Reserve team of Rajasthan United FC finished as runner-up in 2023

References

Cited sources

  1. 1 2 Shivhare, Shashwat (6 November 2022). "Hero I-League to be a different proposition, says Rajasthan United Head Coach Pushpender Kundu". i-league.org. New Delhi: All India Football Federation Media Team. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  2. 1 2 "JECRC FC rebrands to Rajasthan United FC | Football India". 26 March 2021. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  3. ↑ "I-League Qualifiers 2021: Rajasthan United crowned champions | Goal.com". goal.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  4. ↑ "I-League qualifiers: Rajasthan United FC crowned champions, gain promotion in tournament". www.aninews.in. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  5. ↑ "Rajasthan United earn promotion to I-League after winning 2nd division Qualifiers". Khel Now. 23 October 2021. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  6. ↑ "Can new signings make Rajasthan United FC dark horses for Hero I-League 2021-22?". i-league.org. Kolkata, West Bengal: I-League Media Team. 20 December 2021. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  7. 1 2 Sarkar, Sattyik (11 December 2021). "All you need to know about new I-League entrant Rajasthan United FC". khelnow.com. Khel Now. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  8. ↑ "First Ever Rajasthan State Men's League 2019 Started". udaipurkiran. 21 September 2019. Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  9. ↑ Indian Football Minnows [@IMinnows] (16 July 2021). "R-League 2021 to determine Rajasthan's 2nd Division League (I-League Qualifiers) entrant and league winner will start on 20th July. 8 teams will play each other in a single leg format. Org. by Rajasthan Football Association #RLeague #RLeagueADivision #RajasthanStateMensLeague https://t.co/lSGy3FJ6P9" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021 – via Twitter.
  10. ↑ "Rajasthan United FC set up Residential Academy -". Football India. 21 May 2021. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  11. ↑ "Rajasthan United FC Crowned Champions of the I-League Qualifiers 2021". News18. 23 October 2021. Archived from the original on 25 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  12. ↑ Chakraborty, Swapnomoy (2 February 2022). "EXCLUSIVEExclusive: Sardor Jakhonov new signing of Rajasthan United FC to land in India by this week". footballexpress.in. Football Express. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  13. ↑ Mehta, Rutvick (25 December 2021). "Newcomers Kenkre FC put Mumbai back on the I-League map". hindustantimes.com. Mumbai: Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  14. ↑ Thoyakkat, Harigovind (3 December 2021). "Rajasthan United appoint Francesc Bonet as head coach". khelnow.com. Khel Now. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  15. ↑ Guha, Sayantan (8 June 2022). ""Wanted to show India that even a 28-year-old could coach a team at this level" — Rajasthan United boss Francesc Bonet opens up about the ups and downs of the I-League season". sportskeeda.com. Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on 27 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  16. 1 2 Jaison, Anson (31 January 2022). "I-League: Rajasthan United FC signs former LaLiga defender Mauro dos Santos". halfwayfootball.com. The Halfway Football. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  17. ↑ "Hero I-League 2021–2022 TABLE". footballdatabase.com. FootballDatabase. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  18. ↑ "The club from the 𝙇𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙊𝙁 𝙒𝘼𝙍𝙍𝙄𝙊𝙍𝙎 are ready to fight it out in the 131st edition of the 𝘿𝙐𝙍𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝘾𝙐𝙋". @RajasthanUnited. 4 July 2022. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  19. ↑ Sharma, Amitabha Das (19 July 2022). "Durand Cup 2022: More teams, multi-city format". sportstar.thehindu.com. Kolkata: The Hindu. Sportstar. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  20. ↑ Bhattacharjee, Neeladri (20 August 2022). "Durand Cup HIGHLIGHTS ATK Mohun Bagan loses 2–3 to Rajasthan United, ATKMB vs RUFC; Mariners lose first match". sportstar.thehindu.com. Kolkata, West Bengal: Sportstar. The Hindu. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  21. ↑ Narayan, Aaditya (19 September 2022). "Durand Cup 2022 review: The perfect curtain-raiser to the Indian football season". www.espn.in. Kolkata: ESPN. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  22. ↑ "FULL MATCH — Baji Rout Cup semis — Rajasthan charge into the final with a rout of Sreenidi". thefangarage.com. The Fan Garage. 6 November 2022. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  23. ↑ "FULL MATCH – Baji Rout Cup semis – Churchill Brothers bulldoze Kenkre FC in 5 goal haul". thefangarage.com. 6 November 2022. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  24. ↑ "Aizawl TRAU share spoils 10-man Rajasthan prevail over Churchill Brothers". theweek.in. The Week. Press Trust of India. 15 November 2022. Archived from the original on 19 November 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  25. ↑ Jain, Mahesh (28 December 2022). "गोल्ड कप ऑल इंडिया फुटबॉल टूर्नामेंट: सेमीफाइनल में पहुंची राजस्थान यूनाइटेड व केरल एफसी" [Gold Cup All India Football Tournament: Rajasthan United and Kerala FC reached the semi-finals]. patrika.com (in Hindi). Dausa. Archived from the original on 29 December 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  26. 1 2 "Dausa Gold Cup: FC Kerala Champions". Time.news. 1 January 2023. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  27. ↑ Noronha, Anselm (26 June 2021). "I-League 2021-22 to be held in Kolkata: Everything you need to know". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 7 December 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  28. ↑ DN Jaipur desk (27 October 2022). "राजस्थान यूनाईटेड ने दिल्ली के अम्बेडकर स्टेडियम को बनाया अपना होम ग्राउण्ड" [Rajasthan United made Delhi's Ambedkar Stadium their home ground]. dainiknavajyoti.com (in Hindi). Jaipur, Rajasthan: Dainik Navajyoti. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  29. ↑ "Team overview: Rajasthan United FC". footballexpress.in. The Football Express. 1 March 2022. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  30. ↑ Sarkar, Sattyik (21 April 2023). "Rajasthan United to play next I-League season in Jaipur". KhelNow.com. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  31. ↑ "Club overview — Rajasthan United FC". theawayend.co. The Away End. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  32. ↑ "Rajasthan United FC on Instagram: "We are delighted to announce that @aiosports is our Apparel Partner for the upcoming Season. • • • #rajasthanunited #aiosports #rufc…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  33. ↑ "Fire1on1". fire1on1.com. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  34. ↑ Zaidi, Waseem (21 January 2022). "I-LEAGUE: Introducing shirt sponsors of every I-league club for 2021–22 season". khelnow.com. Khel Now. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  35. ↑ "We are thrilled to announce Omtex Sports as our official Kit Partner for the season". @rajasthanunitedfc. 13 October 2022. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  36. ↑ "Rajasthan United FC – Kits 2023/24". footballkitarchive.com. Football Kit Archive. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  37. ↑ Menon, Anirudh (27 October 2021). ""If you want a future for yourself, fight and take it" – The story behind Rajasthan United's I-League fairytale". www.espn.com. ESPN. AIFF Media. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  38. ↑ "Rajasthan United FC – Players from A–Z". WorldFootball.net. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  39. ↑ Thoyakkat, Harigovind (6 December 2021). "Rajasthan United complete signing of ex-Mohun Bagan star Komron Tursunov". khelnow.com. Khel Now. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  40. ↑ Thoyakkat, Harigovind (3 December 2021). "Rajasthan United appoint Francesc Bonet as head coach". khelnow.com. Khel Now. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  41. ↑ "Rajasthan United have signed Spanish attacking midfielder Omar Ramos for the upcoming I-League season". Twitter. 26 February 2022. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  42. ↑ Melián, Selene (27 February 2022). "Omar Ramos ficha en un equipo de La India" [Omar Ramos signs for team from India] (in Spanish). Marca. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  43. ↑ Jaison, Anson (4 August 2022). "Rajasthan United FC signs Kyrgyzstan defender Aydar Mambetaliev on a multi-year deal". halfwayfootball.com. Halfway Football. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  44. ↑ Stan, Joel (5 August 2022). "Rajasthan United FC sign Lebanese midfielder Youssef Atriss". halfwayfootball.com. Halfway Football. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  45. ↑ Stan, Joel (3 August 2022). "Rajasthan United rope in former Northeast United attacker Martin Chaves". halfwayfootball.com. Halfway Football. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  46. ↑ Sarkar, Sattyik (29 August 2022). "Ex-Bashundhara Kings forward Nuha Marong signs for Rajasthan United". khelnow.com. Khel Now. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  47. ↑ Thanveer, Dakir Mohammed (5 January 2023). "Rajasthan United rope in Kyrgyzstan international Atay Dzhumashev". sportskeeda.com. Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  48. ↑ "Player profile – Club career – Season statistics: Richard Gadze". footballdatabase.eu. FootballDatabase Europe. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  49. ↑ "Player Profile — Club Career – Statistics: Ibrahim Moro". footballdatabase.eu. Football Database Europe. Archived from the original on 25 July 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  50. ↑ "Ex-Ghana U-20 skipper Ibrahim Moro to play for Togo during AFCON 2017". modernghana.com. Modern Ghana News. 23 November 2016. Archived from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023. "Ex-Ghana U-20 Star Ibrahim Moro To Play For Togo's Hawks". africansportsmonthly.com. The African Sports Monthly. 26 December 2016. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  51. ↑ "Rajasthan State Men's League 2019". IndiaFooty.com. 19 September 2019. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  52. ↑ "Rajasthan State Men's League". The Away End. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  53. ↑ Sports Desk, The Bridge (8 November 2022). "Rajasthan United FC wins 2022 Baji Rout Cup". thebridge.in. The Bridge. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  54. ↑ "A valiant effort by our reserves in Madhya Pradesh 🚀🔥". Twitter.com (@RajasthanUnited). Rajasthan United FC. 13 January 2023. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  55. ↑ "49 teams to participate in AIFF Elite Youth League 2022–23". the-aiff.com. New Delhi: All India Football Federation. 7 December 2022. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  56. ↑ Raghunandan, Vaibhav (18 January 2023). "Quick starts, watertight defences and perfect records: A look ahead to the Hero U-17 Youth Cup final round". the-aiff.com. New Delhi: All India Football Federation. Archived from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  57. ↑ "Rajasthan United FC launched their residential academy in Rajasthan". footballexpress.in. Football Express News. 3 June 2021. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  58. ↑ Chaudhuri, Arunava (7 May 2021). "Rajasthan United FC launch their residential academy!". arunfoot.com. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  59. ↑ "A valiant effort by our U17 boys in Rajasthan 🚀🔥". Twitter.com (@RajasthanUnited). Rajasthan United FC. 16 January 2023. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  60. ↑ "Rajasthan United FC conducts football trials in Kohima". morungexpress.com. Kohima: The Morang Express. 1 March 2022. Archived from the original on 24 May 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.

Further reading

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