FC Bengaluru United train eyes on I-League entry

Bengaluru, DHNS: With the I-League 2 slated to begin from January 20 onwards, there are two I-League berths up for grabs for the eight participating teams, and FC Bengaluru United are confident of getting the job done. 

"Our goal is to qualify for the I-League. We had to improve and have worked on our mistakes," FCBU head coach Fernando Varela, in his second year with the club, said. 

"We are fully ready and set up for the higher levels of football. Our goal is to make it to the Indian Super League, but we do want to take it step by step. I believe we are going to have a very competitive I-League 2 campaign and will fight it out to give our best. We want to qualify being the champions," owner Gaurav Manchanda said. 

Speaking on FCBU's partnership with the Spanish club, Sevilla, Manchanda said: "Sevilla are showing us a lot on how to run a club. We intend to have our continued programmes with them. There are plans to get them to Bengaluru later this year. Sevilla will help us both in our sporting ways and also on how we can incorporate technology to bring a competitive advantage and also in scouting,"  

Manchanda indicated that the revamped league structure in the lower divisions provides greater clarity for clubs and further options for players. "There has been a change for the better in the Indian football ecosystem. There is more clarity and that is very helpful. This also helps more teams and clubs to enter. Players have more options now. It is a clear goal and aspiration for us, there is no ambiguity. 

After failing to secure a direct corporate entry last year, Manchanda maintained that FCBU are open to try that route again, if unable to qualify through the playoffs. 

"We would like to stay connected to the ecosystem and look to the AIFF whenever the opportunity arises to apply again. Our set-up is ready for the next stages of the football ecosystem. We are certainly I-League ready, we just need to make it happen and it is only a matter of time, whether through merit or with the federation," Manchanda revealed.

Manchanda believes that there needs to be more clubs from Karnataka in the upper leagues, and that increased competition will make things better. 

"We can certainly host three to four big clubs out of Bengaluru. Every club brings its own brand to the table and its own philosophy. The fans need to be able to pick who they want to support and what philosophy they align with. We need more clubs from Karnataka competing in the national level."

Both Varela and Manchanda outlined how better preparation and a different format can help FCBU make the cut after previous short-comings in the final hurdle.

"In a competition like this (I-League 2), it is about how you prepare from pre-season and how you can adapt to different styles, different playing surfaces - natural grass or artificial grass," Varela said. 

"We have been through a mix of formats. We are pretty excited about the league format, and hope to take our learnings and consistency into a league format," Manchanda added.