Spreading the beautiful game across different regions of the country is one of the key objectives in Vision 2047, and the Federation’s plan to host the Hero Super Cup in Kerala, where both Hero ISL and Hero I-League have come together, is part of it. the-aiff.com is currently in Malappuram and Kozhikode and is following the progress of the clubs in the Hero Super Cup closely in a series of stories.

Soumo Ghosh
AIFF Media Team

KOZHIKODE: Churchill Brothers FC Goa have qualified for the Hero Super Cup proper in emphatic fashion, and are now looking forward to taking on the big boys from the Hero Indian Super League in Group D of the competition.

The Red Machines begin their campaign against Hero ISL League Shield Winners Mumbai City FC at the Manjeri Payyanad.

Head coach Mateus Costa said, “The Hero Super Cup is a brilliant opportunity for the Hero I-League sides to rub shoulders with the Hero ISL teams. There is no pressure on the shoulders of our boys, and I hope they can go out there, enjoy their football, and express themselves on the pitch.”

Mumbai City FC is a club that has enjoyed success this season, winning the Hero ISL Shield, and more recently, have beaten Jamshedpur FC in the Hero Club Playoff to book themselves a spot in next season’s AFC Champions League Group Stage.

“Mumbai City are a very good side, with a lot of quality players. Their gameplay is one of the best in India, and it will for sure be a tough challenge for us all,” said Costa.

Churchill Brothers have benefited from the presence of foreign duo Ansumana Kromah and Martin Chaves at the front, a lethal combination that helped them put six past Real Kashmir in the qualifiers.

“It’s really good for us that both Kromah and Chaves have formed such a great partnership up front. They both understand and compliment each other,” he said. “They are an important part of the team, and I’m very happy to see Kromah come in and score so many goals on his debut.”

Mumbai City FC, after booking their spot in the AFC Champions League Group Stage, have decided to give more opportunities to their local players, and have thus decided to bring an all-Indian squad to Kerala for the Hero Super Cup.

Mumbai head coach Des Buckingham said, “It’ll be different for us because the foreign players will not be here. But I’ve spoken about trying to build this club in the last two years, by developing Indian players.

“They have contributed heavily to the success that we’ve had so far, so I’m excited to see what we can do and to see what these players can produce now against what will be three very good teams in the Group Stage,” he said.

The Mumbai City coach stressed on the importance of controlling the proceedings against Churchill Brothers and playing an attacking brand of football.

“We’ll be as prepared as we think we can be for the game against Churchill. We want to have control of what we have and continue playing a very attacking brand of football, be it against teams from the Hero I-League or the Hero ISL,” he said.

The match between Mumbai City FC and Churchill Brothers FC Goa will kick off at the Manjeri Payyanad at 5 pm IST on Tuesday, and will be broadcast and streamed live on the Sony Sports Network and FanCode, respectively.