With five new foreign signings, Churchill Bros hope for fresh start

Panaji: Among their international players, Churchill Brothers FC have only retained Aubin Kouakou from last season’s stuttering campaign and believe that the new arrivals will give them an edge when the I-League, Indian football’s second tier competition, kicks off next month.
Churchill Bros have won the I-League twice as the top-tier competition, but their last title triumph was more than a decade ago when Sunil Chhetri was at the heart of a stunning race towards the trophy. The club has since then tried to challenge for the title, without success.
Now, with other clubs roping in quality foreign players and strengthening themselves in a bid to become champions and qualify for the Indian Super League (ISL), Churchill are not far behind.
The two-time champions have retained former Ivory Coast defensive midfielder Aubin from last season and completed the signings of four more international players.
It includes Juan Mera, an I-League winner with Punjab FC when they qualified for the top-tier ISL, attacking midfielder Sebastian Gutierrez from Colombia and Senegalese midfielder Pape Gassama, who last turned up for Delhi FC.
Churchill’s latest signing is South African striker Wayde Lekay, who arrives in India with experience of playing in the South African Premiership.
The former Cape Town City and TS Galaxy forward last played for Swedish Division 1 side FC Trollhattan as a free agent. Interestingly, the 27-year-old had initially travelled to Sweden to bolster the attack of relegation-threatened Supperettan side Helsingborg, but according to reports, “visa and work permit issues scuppered the move.” Helsingborg was then managed by Stuart Baxter, formerly coach of Odisha FC.
“We have space for one more foreign signing but waiting (to confirm) for him to complete his visa,” said a senior official at the club. “The player joins us straight from the Scotland top tier.”
Churchill Bros took part in the Bhausaheb Bandodkar Memorial Trophy at home, but chose to field the reserve squad. There were four foreign players -- Silvain Bonha (Cameroon), Kilane Ebenezer (Ivory Coast), Moses James Tettevi (Ghana) and Mathew Ofori Dunga (Ghana) -- on trials for the three group-stage games, but according to club sources, none of them are being retained.
“For the Bandodkar Trophy, we had our reserves playing, except for four domestic players who will be part of the I-League squad. None of the foreign players are being considered,” said the official.
Meanwhile, Churchill have handed an extension to Spanish coach Francesc Bonet, who has previously coached Rajasthan United, Gokulam Kerala and Namdhari FC.
At 31, Bonet is among the younger coaches in the I-League. He got his UEFA Pro License at age 21 and was one of the youngest to achieve the highest coaching qualification in Spain.
“We are thrilled to announce that head coach Francesc Bonet will continue to lead Churchill Brothers FC Goa for another exciting season. Under his guidance, our team has shown remarkable progress and determination. We are confident that with his leadership, we will reach new heights and achieve our goals in the upcoming season. Let’s make it a memorable one, coach Bonet,” the club said in a post on social media.

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