Chennai City FC (CCFC) was officially crowned the I-League champion in front of all the other clubs and bigwigs of All India Football Federation (AIFF) at a function here on Wednesday.
Sunando Dhar, CEO of I-League, praised Rohit Ramesh, owner of Chennai City, for the brand of football his team had dished out in the tournament.
‘Noteworthy football’
“Chennai City was by far been the best team this year. Its brand of football of keeping the ball to the ground and the passing game were noteworthy.
“That’s what we in the Indian National team have been trying to put in place,” he said.
Dhar also spoke highly about the teams’ promotion of local players from their respective regions as the way forward.
“[Many] local players have come from Minerva Punjab while Real Kashmir has been a revelation.
“Chennai City has been doing it for the last few years. It helps grow the fan base, and is the best way to move forward,” he said.
Rohit thanked AIFF, his players, club’s head coach [Akbar Nawas] and the supporting staff for its maiden triumph.
“It has been a tough four years altogether. Many didn’t believe in our vision, but we stuck to our guts.
“It’s been a good season and we hope to continue the dream.” he said.
Kushal Das, AIFF secretary, said Chennai City won primarily due to its “tremendous planning and [excellent] strategising in only its third year.”
Special awards:
Fair play award: Shillong Lajong.
Top goal scorer: Pedro Manzi (CCFC) and Willis Plaza (Churchill Brothers) (21 goals each).
Best goalkeeper: Bilal Khan (Real Kashmir).
Best defender: Roberto Eslava (CCFC).
Best midfielder: Nestor Gordillo (CCFC).
Best forward: Manzi.
Best home-match organiser: East Bengal.
Emerging player: Gaurav Bora (CCFC).
Best coach: Akbar Nawas (CCFC);
Hero of the League: Manzi .
