Chennai City FC and Finnish Club JS Hercules on Friday announced a comprehensive partnership that involves exchange programmes for players, business arrangements and a social impact programme.
Four players from CCFC — Soosai Raj, Edwin Sydney Vanspaul, Nandhakumar and A. Beautin — will travel to Oulu, Finland, and train with Hercules for one month.
CCFC owner Rohit Ramesh stressed on the unique nature of the partnership saying: “It is not a typical European Premier League kind of tie-up. It is more of groundwork and working at grass-roots.
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“It is about how we can learn from each other and have exchange programmes on how to run the sport.”
Winger Nandhakumar said he was excited at the opportunity.
“I am really happy to have been provided this opportunity and I hope to make the most of it.
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“I was recently offered a job at AGS but I have put the offer on hold. I have expressed my desire to play professionally.
“My family would prefer that I take up the government job but are supportive of my goals as of now,” he said.
Soosai Raj said: “I have always dreamt of playing in Europe and this is honestly a dream come true. I started playing football barefoot when I was five years old and never thought I would make it this big.
“It was in Grade 12 in MCC that I first wore boots and subsequently joined the league.”
Speaking about what his club can offer, Hercules chairman Mikko Perala: “We have a lot to give even though we are a small club. We want to prove that small clubs can also do great things.
“I think India is a sleeping giant in football, and hopefully this partnership can wake it up.”
CCFC to build stadium
Chennai City FC also announced that it has identified a location on the Old Mahabalipuram Road to construct its own stadium with lodging facilities for its players.
P.S.R. Raju, one of the partners of CCFC, will oversee the club’s infrastructure development.
“We plan to get started in six to nine months and get the stadium ready by 2019,” Raju said, adding that there are plans to have a multi-sports facility at the venue once the main football stadium is ready.
On the business side, a 50-50 joint venture company will be established to help Finnish companies enter India and vice-versa.
Hercules has a social programme ‘Good4Hood’ back in Finland to help fight social problems in local communities, and the two clubs will try to modify the programme to suit Indian needs.
Soundar to be retained
Rohit Ramesh announced that CCFC’s foreign recruits in its maiden season — Ikechukwu Joseph, Marcos Tank and Charles de Souza — are unlikely to feature next year.
The team, however, plans to stick with coach V. Soundararajan who was appointed mid-way through the season after Robin Charles Raja was sacked seven games into the tournament.