His primary position is winger, but he can also operate in a free attacking midfield role. In the last match against Chennaiyin FC, he played on the left. Although he was listed as a defender, he played more like a left midfielder. Williams and Sanchez operated in the free role, switching between the centre and left wing. There was no conventional left-back on paper, with Shivaldo tracking back while defending and driving forward in attack, while generally maintaining his position around midfield.

135th IndianOil Durand Cup Final

Sunday, 23 August 2026

Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata 5:00 PM IST

Sony Sports 2 / Sony LIV

#Mohun Bagan Super Giant Durand Cup 2026

Date	Stage	Opponent	Result
25 Jul	Group A	East Bengal	W 1-0
4 Aug	Group A	South United FC	W 8-0
10 Aug	Group A	CISF Protectors	W 6-0
17 Aug	Quarter-final	Jamshedpur FC	D 1-1, W 9-8 pens
20 Aug	Semi-final	NorthEast United FC	D 0-0, W 4-3 pens

#East Bengal FC Durand Cup 2026

Date	Stage	Opponent	Result
25 Jul	Group A	Mohun Bagan	L 0-1
31 Jul	Group A	CISF Protectors	W 8-0
7 Aug	Group A	South United FC	W 5-0
16 Aug	Quarter-final	Indian Army FT	W 1-0
19 Aug	Semi-final	SC Delhi	D 0-0, W 5-3 pens

🟢 Mohun Bagan Super Giant

Pos	Player
GK	Vishal
DF	Bheke
MF	Thapa
DF	Subhasis (C)
DF	Alberto
DF	Tekcham
MF	Samir
MF	Apuia
FW	Liston
FW	Manvir
FW	Maclaren
Subs	Zahid (GK), Mehtab, Chhangte, Miguel, Suryavanshi, Kiyan, Sahal, Tangri, Ashish, Suhail

Panagiotis Dilmperis

🔴 East Bengal FC

Pos	Player
GK	Prabhsukhan Singh Gill
DF	Bhatt
DF	Anwar
DF	Chungnunga
DF	Jay
DF	Mandi
MF	Basim Rashid
MF	Edmund
MF	Ramirez
MF	Jeakson
FW	Bipin
Subs	Lachenpa (GK), Rohit, Ikonomidis, David Hmar, Boris, Narendra Gehlot, Danu, Jesin, Souvik, Asif

Habas

🟢 Mohun Bagan	G	A	🔴 East Bengal	G	A
Sahal Abdul Samad	5	3	P. V. Vishnu	4	—
Manvir Singh	4	—	Jesin TK	2	1
Suhail Ahmad Bhat	2	—	Bipin Singh	2	1
Alberto Rodríguez	1	—	Dani Ramírez	1	2
Rahul Bheke	1	—	Edmund Lalrindika	—	2
Jamie Maclaren	1	—	Christopher Ikonomidis	—	1
Tekcham Abhishek Singh	1	1	Sandip Mandi	—	1
Dejan Drazic	—	2	Basim Rashid	1	—
Anirudh Thapa	—	2	Jeakson Singh	1	—
Kiyan Nassiri	—	1	Hardik Bhatt	1	—
Liston Colaco	—	1	David Hmar	1	—
Sayan Banerjee	—	1

#Last 5 Durand Cup meetings

Date	Stage	Mohun Bagan	East Bengal
25 Jul 2026	Group	🟢 1	0 🔴
17 Aug 2025	QF	1	🟢 2
3 Sep 2023	Final	🟢 1	0
12 Aug 2023	Group	0	🟢 1
28 Aug 2022	Group	🟢 1	0

Club	Titles	Winning Years	Last Title
🟢 Mohun Bagan	17	1953, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1974, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1994, 2000, 2023	2023
🔴 East Bengal	16	1951, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1967, 1970, 1972, 1978, 1982, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 2002, 2004	2004

#East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan Durand Cup Finals

Year	Final	Result	Winner
1960	East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan	0-0, 1-1 (replay)	Shared
1964	Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal	2–0	🟢 Mohun Bagan
1970	East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan	2–0	🔴 East Bengal
1972	East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan	0-0, 1–0* (replay)	🔴 East Bengal
1978	East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan	3–0	🔴 East Bengal
1982	East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan	0-0	Shared
1984	Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal	2–0	🟢 Mohun Bagan
1986	Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal	1–0	🟢 Mohun Bagan
1989	East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan	0–0 (3–1 pens)	🔴 East Bengal
1994	Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal	1–0	🟢 Mohun Bagan
2004	East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan	2–1	🔴 East Bengal
2023	Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal	1–0	🟢 Mohun Bagan

Kolkata Derby & Durand Cup Records

| Record | Match | Competition | Year | |---|---|---|---:|---:| | Biggest Kolkata Derby win | East Bengal 5–0 Mohun Bagan | IFA Shield Final | 1975 | | Highest-scoring Kolkata Derby | Mohun Bagan 5–3 East Bengal | I-League | 2009 | | Biggest Durand Cup final win | Highland Light Infantry 8–1 Shimla Rifles | Durand Cup Final | 1889 | | Highest-scoring Durand Cup final | Highland Light Infantry 8–1 Shimla Rifles | Durand Cup Final | 1889

Comeback win in the Durand Cup Final, Overcoming the highest goal deficit

NorthEast United FC 2–2 Mohun Bagan SG (NEUFC won 4–3 on penalties) Mohun Bagan led 2–0 at half-time after Jason Cummings scored from the spot in the 12th minute and Sahal Abdul Samad added a second in stoppage time. NorthEast United responded in the second half, with Alaeddine Ajaraie scoring in the 59th minute before substitute Guillermo Fernández quickly made it 2–2.

The match went to penalties, where NorthEast United won 4–3 after Subhasish Bose missed his penalty, securing the club's first major trophy.

Another Interesting stat we are getting from our producer; Mohun Bagan beat East Bengal 5–3 in the 2009 I-League, in what remains the highest-scoring Kolkata Derby. East Bengal opened the scoring through Nirmal Chettri, but Mohun Bagan responded through Nigerian striker Chidi Edeh. East Bengal fought back to make it 3–3 at half-time, but Edeh scored twice more after the break to complete his four-goal haul and seal an 8-goal thriller for Mohun Bagan.

#In the century-long history of the Kolkata Derby, no team has ever come back from a multi-goal deficit (2 or more goals) to win the match.

#Here’s another exclusive for our readers: Edmund Lalrindika has become only the third player in Durand Cup history to score a hat-trick in the final, and the first to score all three goals in the opening 45 minutes.

Odafe Okolie (Churchill Brothers) : With the 2009 final against Mohun Bagan tied 0-0 after regulation, Mohun Bagan took an early lead in extra time. Okolie immediately responded by scoring an incredible extra-time hat-trick within just ten minutes (100', 104', 110') to win the title for Churchill Brothers in a 3-1 victory.

Narayanswami Ulaganathan (Mohun Bagan) : The legendary winger, nicknamed the "Black Pearl," was the very first player in Durand Cup history to score a hat-trick in a final, achieving the milestone against JCT Mills in the 1976 edition.

#FULL TIME

🔴 East Bengal FC 4–1 Mohun Bagan SG 🟢

Goalscorers:

🔴 Bipin Singh 10'
🔴 Edmund Lalrindika 18', 27', 44' ⚽⚽⚽
🟢 Manvir Singh 33'

---

Match Statistics	🔴 East Bengal	🟢 Mohun Bagan
Possession	34%	66%
Shots	11	19
Shots on Target	6	7
Corners	1	6
Fouls	12	9
Yellow Cards	2	3
Red Cards	0	0

Antonio López Habas trophies in the Indian Football

Year	Trophy	Club
2014	ISL Cup	Atlético de Kolkata
2019–20	ISL Cup	ATK
2023–24	ISL League Shield	Mohun Bagan Super Giant
2024–25	I-League	Inter Kashi
2026	Durand Cup	East Bengal

🏆 Longest Gaps Between Durand Cup Titles

Rank	Team	Previous Title	Next Title	Gap
1	Mohammedan Sporting	1940	2013	73 years
2	South Wales Borderers	1900	1938	38 years
3	Mohun Bagan	2000	2023	23 years
4	East Bengal	2004	2026	22 years

#Golden Ball

Player	Team
Edmund Lalrindika	🔴 East Bengal FC
Sahal Abdul Samad	🟢 Mohun Bagan SG

#Golden Boot

Player	Team
Alaaeddine Ajaraie	🔵 NorthEast United FC
Rodrigo A. Da Silva F.	⚪ SC Delhi
Sahal Abdul Samad	🟢 Mohun Bagan SG

#Golden Glove

Player	Team
Vishal Kaith	🟢 Mohun Bagan SG
Phurba Lachenpa	🔴 East Bengal FC
Ranjit Sarkar	🔵 Shillong Lajong FC

TV: Sony TEN 2 / Sony TEN 2 HD according to the latest match-specific listing.

Live streaming: SonyLIV

(If you don't have access to any of these, DM me, I will send you the link)

Kick-off: 4:00 PM IST

Venue: Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium), Kolkata.

JAMSHEDPUR FC ROAD TO THE QUATER-FINALS

Date	Stage	Opponent	Result	Goalscorers
26 Jul	Group C	Defenders FC	5-0 W	Raynier Fernandes 4', 6', 79'; Aman C.K. 23'; Devendra Murgaokar 39'
4 Aug	Group C	SC Delhi	1-2 L	Mohammed Sanan 22'
13 Aug	Group C	Indian Air Force FT	6-0 W	Raynier Fernandes 4'; Lawmsangzuala 55', 64', 80'; Aman C.K. 71'; Rayan C. 84'

MOHUN BAGAN SG ROAD TO THE QUATER-FINALS

Date	Stage	Opponent	Result	Goalscorers
25 Jul	Group A	East Bengal FC	1-0 W	Sahal Abdul Samad 53'
4 Aug	Group A	South United FC	8-0 W	Manvir Singh 4', 22', 60'; Alberto Rodríguez 10'; Rahul Bheke 19'; Noel S. OG 69'; Suhail Ahmad Bhat 90', 90+1'
10 Aug	Group A	CISF Protectors	6-0 W	Sahal Abdul Samad 17', 19', 37'; Manvir Singh 24'; Jamie Maclaren 68'; Tekcham Abhishek Singh 73'

HEAD TO HEAD

Date	Competition	Fixture	Result	Goalscorers
21 May 2026	ISL 2025-26	Mohun Bagan SG vs SC Delhi	2-1	Clarence Savio Fernandes 63'; Manvir Singh 90'; Jamie Maclaren 90+9'

MOHUN BAGAN STARTING Xl

#	Player	Position
1	Kaith	GK
2	Rahul	CB
6	Thapa	MF
7	Liston	FW
11	Manvir	FW
15	Subhasish (C)	CB
18	Sahal	CAM
21	Alberto	CB
27	Tekcham	RB
45	Apuia	CM
71	Dejan	FW

Substitutes: Zahid (GK), Mehtab, Samir, Sayan, Suryavanshi, Kiyan, Maclaren, Alex, Asish, Suhail.

Head Coach: Panagiotis Dilmperis

JAMSHEDPUR FC STARTING Xl

Player	Position
Albino Gomes	GK
Pratik Chaudhari	CB
Provat Lakra	LB
Nikhil Barla	RB
Rashithoi	MF
Pronay Haldar (C)	CB
Lalhriatpuia	MF
Raynier Fernandes	CAM
Aman C.K.	FW
Mohammed Sanan	FW
Devendra Murgaokar	FW

Substitutes: Amrit, Abhishek, Sarthak, Ronaldo, Leewan, Zuala, Sachin, Alvin, Rayan, Sana

Head Coach: Kaizad Ambapardiwala

kickoff

#Goal Alert

#MB-JFC 1-0

2' Just two minutes on the clock! Jamshedpur FC captain Pronay Halder misplaces his pass to Drazic, who plays a through ball to Sahal, and he buries it into the net!

#MB-JFC 1-1

44' FUCK FUCK FUCK... THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP WORKS! Rashithoi fires a rocket at Kaith, who caught napping in goal, and Devendra is the first to react to the deflected ball and buries it into the net!

#Big chance

16' Aman CK plays a quick1-2 with Rashithoi and gets through on goal, GOOD SAVE BY KAITH!

23' Lalhriatpuia dangrous set piece in the box, dummy Lakra confuse it with box cricket and whack it for the six

27' Sahal put the goal on a platter for Drazic, but Drazic treats the ball like its a non veg on Tuesday

32' Abhishek serve another platter of the cross for Drazic but he still think it's Tuesday

37' Dilmperis goes crazy as Apuia whack another out of the Eden garden

38' Sahal shot got deflected by Halder, going in the net until Albino caught out of postion make an overhead save

42' Sahal shows good ball control in the box and opens up space for Liston to take a free shot, but Liston confuses his maroon with Jamshedpur’s red and sends the ball out of bounds.”

#Half Time

#Second Half begans

#Rain started

#Big Chance

48' Zeljković finds Sahal in an open area inside the box, but Sahal blows the chance away.”

52' Rodriguez gets his head to Nassiri’s corner but sends it over the bar as the ball was under 21

60 Zeljkovic got a shot on target, and parcel it to albino lap

62' Albino says bye-bye to the goalpost, just like Tata did to Jamshedpur FC. Sahal tackles him down to the sideline and plays the ball into the goalkeeper-less net, finds Liston whose ass does not know what to do with the ball, so he gives it back to Jamshedpur

65' Aman CK run past entire Mohunbagan midfield and defence, and serve the ball to the feet of the Sanan who add another six to the boundary count

72' Liston nonchalantly hit longest six of the match

82' Mclaren average shot on target saved by Albino

#5 minutes extra time

Zeljkovic attempt lightning shot at near post just goes out of target

Incredible Albino save Sayan bullet of a shot

Aman CK make another drooling run but attack failed to test a goal

#Substitution

#Mohun Bagan

IN	OUT
Nassiri	Apuia
Zeljkovic	Drazic
Maclaren	Manvir
Suhail	Liston
Sayan	Sahal

#Jamshedpur FC

IN	OUT
Mama	Devendra
Ambedkar	Sanan

#Yellow Card

Card	Player
🟨	Alberto Rodríguez

Statistic	Mohun Bagan	Jamshedpur FC
Ball Possession	58%	42%
Shots	24	8
Shots on Target	5	3
Corners	10	1
Fouls	8	5
Yellow Cards	1	1
Red Cards	0	0

#Penalty Shootouts

#Jamshedpur FC

Player	Penalty Placement	Result
Rashithoi	Top left corner	Scored
Raynier Fernandes	Top right corner	Scored
Aman C.K.	Bottom right corner	Scored
Abhishek Ambedkar	Bottom left corner	Scored
Pronay Haldar	Bottom left corner	Scored
Provat Lakra	Bottom left corner	Scored
Pratik Chaudhari	Bottom left corner	Scored
Nikhil Barla	Middle	Scored
Mama	Bottom left corner	Saved

#Mohunbagan

Player	Penalty Placement	Result
Rahul Bheke	Bottom right corner	Scored
Samir Zeljkovic	Top right corner	Scored
Bose	Bottom left corner	Scored
Jamie Maclaren	Top right corner	Scored
Kiyan Nassiri	Bottom left corner	Scored
Thapa	Middle	Scored
Alberto	Bottom left corner	Scored
Suhail	Top right corner	Scored
Abhishek	Bottom left corner	Scored

#FUCK TATA

Why Dr. Sanjiv Goenka Should Manage the Indian U-15 Football Team

Plz read until the end, Bear with me if I get emotional while writing it, I am a long-term football fan. I have seen players shine like stars and fall like meteors. I have seen clubs achieve glory and then disappear. I have watched major corporations and wealthy investors enter Indian football with enormous ambitions, only to eventually lose interest or walk away.

But through Indian football's brightest highs and darkest lows, one name has continued to remain relevant: Dr. Sanjiv Goenka.

For every thousand scooters, there is one Lightning McQueen; yFor every thousand Bajajs, there is one Goenka. 

And I believe that is precisely why he deserves serious consideration for a managerial role with the Indian national team system, specifically, Manager of the India U-15 national football team.

Not a owner disguised himself as club official but a true manager 

Dr. Sanjiv Goenka is not simply someone who has put money into sport. He has spent decades building and managing large institutions.

He has been Chairman of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group since its establishment in 2011. According to the group's own profile, the organisation now has approximately 55,000 employees worldwide and more than one million shareholders.

He has also held some of India's most prominent institutional leadership positions. He was the youngest-ever President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the youngest-ever President of the Indian Chamber of Commerce. He has also served as President of the All India Management Association.

This is not the résumé of someone who merely wants to become a football administrator. It is the résumé of someone who has spent decades managing people, institutions, stakeholders and enormous responsibilities.

His football credentials are already established

RPSG acquired a majority stake in Mohun Bagan Football Club in 2020, bringing the national club to India to the ISL

Under the RPSG ownership, Mohun Bagan became one of the dominant forces in Indian football.

Goenka has therefore already experienced the realities of running an elite Indian football organisation: recruitment, finances, commercialisation, infrastructure, sporting ambition, player management and the enormous expectations attached to a historic club instead of getting a club as a heir and acting it's manager.

The experience matters not Reels .

The national team is not simply another football XI. It is an institution requiring coordination between players, coaches, administrators, sponsors, federation officials, families and other stakeholders.

Goenka has spent decades operating precisely in that kind of environment.

He has demonstrated institutional leadership far beyond sport

His leadership experience extends far beyond his corporate empire.

He served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT Kharagpur for a record four terms and also chaired the Board of Governors of IIT Gandhinagar. He is Chairman of the International Management Institute and has held senior positions in major national business institutions.

He has also served on the Prime Minister's Council on Trade & Industry and the Board of Trade of the Government of India. The World Economic Forum lists him as a Global Leader for Tomorrow and records his previous leadership positions in CII, AIMA and IIT.

This matters because managing a national youth team requires more than understanding football.

It requires governance.

It requires discipline.

It requires dealing with institutions.

It requires building systems.

It requires making difficult decisions.

And it requires the ability to manage people who may have completely different personalities, backgrounds and expectations.

Goenka has spent decades doing exactly that.

Goenka's career also demonstrates something extremely important: longevity.

The World Economic Forum recognised him as a Global Leader for Tomorrow in 1993. In 2015, he received the Banga Bibhushan, one of West Bengal's highest civilian honours. In 2021, the All India Management Association named him Business Leader of the Year.

These recognitions span decades.

That is important when considering someone for a youth-development environment. instead of person who call himself messeiah after starting a club out of his midlife crises 

India does not need another temporary celebrity influencer appointment. It needs people capable of thinking in decades rather than seasons.

He understands that elite sport requires standards

One of the most important qualities required in a youth national team is the ability to establish standards.

Talent alone is not enough.

Young footballers need discipline, accountability, professionalism and the understanding that representing India is a privilege that comes with responsibility.

Goenka has built his reputation around demanding performance and maintaining high standards. He expect same passion from his team, As passion he shows from the stands, And he didn't shy away and demand same passion and performance from them

I am not arguing that Dr. Sanjiv Goenka should replace the head coach without license like some instagram influencers 

The head coach should remain responsible for football-specific matters: training, tactics, formations, player development and match preparation.

The manager should ensure that the larger environment around the team functions properly.

Sanjiv Goenka have shown utmost professionalism in bringing best staff for Mohun Bagan and supporting them like a silent hero from behind instead of interfering with the team environment to make reels out of them 

That is where Goenka's experience becomes relevant compare to nepo spoiled kid like Ranjit Bajaj

Why the U-15 level?

The U-15 national team is arguably one of the most important places to experiment with a different model of leadership

At this age, India is not simply trying to win a tournament as pushed by some irrelavent influencers 

We are trying to develop footballers not a advertisement for a coaching center

The manager should therefore be someone capable of creating an environment in which talented teenagers can develop professionally, understand the standards of elite sport and learn what representing India actually means rather than making content out of them

Goenka has already shown that he is willing to take difficult decisions

His handling of Mohun Bagan's AFC participation in Iran is an example of this willingness to make a controversial decision when management believed player safety was at stake not exploring kids for reel clout like some people 

Whatever one's opinion of that decision, it demonstrates an important characteristic: the willingness to accept sporting and financial consequences when management believes a larger principle is at stake.

A national-team manager needs that kind of decisiveness.

Indian football has spent too much time scrolling Instagram

We need builders.

We need people who understand institutions.

We need people who can create systems rather than simply appear at matches.

And above all, we need people who understand that developing Indian football is a long-term project.

That combination of business leadership, institutional governance, football ownership and long-term experience makes him an outstanding candidate.

Perhaps exactly the kind of candidate Indian football should be willing to consider.

Therefore, I propose that the AIFF seriously consider Dr. Sanjiv Goenka for the position of Manager of the India U-15 Men's National Football Team

Dr. Sanjiv Goenka has spent his entire career building institutions.

Perhaps it is time to let him build one for Indian football's next generation.

Why are there such frequent power cuts? The weather is clear, there's no storm, no electrical fault, and no major event, so what's the reason?

kya ham itne gareeb hai or all the electricity is being supplied only to the big cities? Kya chhote shehar wale insaan hi nahi hain na? Woh to survive karte aa hi rahe hain, thoda aur seh lenge.

You can't get any work done like this. You sit down with your laptop boom, the power goes out. You start working again another power cut. It's almost impossible to work from home under these conditions.

On top of that you can't watch anything without spoiler because you can't finish anything kyuki har 15 min mai toh enko, power kaatne ki chull hoti hai, And as soon as you open Reddit or Insta, they just shove spoiler up your ass.

Every good story has an underdog. Since its arrival in the ISL in 2017, if there is any club that has consistently shown grit, dedication, resilience, guts, and courage, the club that makes people keep believing in the power of the ordinary, it is none other than the Red Miners.

From Owen Coyle's side winning the ISL League Winners' Shield in 2021–22 with a record 43-point season, to multiple playoff appearances and finishing as Super Cup runners-up, Jamshedpur FC has always kept the furnace burning. Many current national team players, including Ritwik Das, Mohammed Sanan, Vishal Yadav, Nikhil Barla, Boris Singh, Uvais, and Imran Khan, made their name through their remarkable seasons with Jamshedpur FC, but Tata's relationship with Indian football goes way back.

Since the establishment of the Tata Football Academy in 1987, India's first fully fledged professional residential football academy, it has produced legends like Renedy Singh, Subrata Paul, Climax Lawrence, Deepak Mondal, Robin Singh, and over a hundred players who have gone on to represent the tricolour.

Tata is so deeply intertwined with Indian football that the current national team head coach, Khalid Jamil, and Farukh Choudhary have strong ties with Jamshedpur FC. Even assistant coach Mahesh Gawli and AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey are products of the Tata Football Academy.

Jamshedpur FC is not just another football club that can be replaced. It is the identity of the people of Jamshedpur. It is the legacy of J. R. D. Tata and Ratan Tata. Shutting the club down at such short notice not only puts the careers of promising Indian players at risk, makes coaching and non-coaching staff jobless, makes the market lose its confidence in the ISL, and disrupts the ecosystem that supports thousands of people, but also disrupts the economy of the city and, on top of that, is a disrespect to the Tata name and to the belief that, "No success or achievement in material terms is worthwhile unless it serves the needs or interests of the country and its people" as famously said by JRD Tata

Jamshedpur FC is a jewel of the city. It is an institution that will only become more valuable with time, not a disposable asset to be discarded. Its legacy will live on long after the board members who made this decision have moved on.

Therefore, this decision should not be taken by Tata Steel, Tata Sons, or a handful of executives sitting in air-conditioned boardrooms alone. The people are the ultimate stakeholders. They are the ones who built Jamshedpur into what it is today, and with the resentment Tata is facing, the people have already delivered their judgment.

There is still time.

Continue the operations of Jamshedpur FC, unless you want to be remembered as the people who stood on the wrong side of history.

I have supported Indian football for years, and I want the sport to grow under leaders who put the interests of Indian football and young players first. Over time, I have lost confidence in Ranjit Bajaj's leadership because of a pattern of public controversies and conduct that has damaged trust in the game.

I am concerned by the repeated public disputes surrounding him, including disciplinary action over racist remarks, controversies involving multiple age fraud cases in youth competitions, legal action against critics, and his role in broader football governance disputes, from India's football ban to destabilizing the Indian Super League, clubs, and players to gain a monetary benefit out of it.

I am further concerned that Minerva Academy appears to place excessive emphasis on showcasing young players as success stories to get clout on social media rather than prioritizing their long-term education, welfare, and holistic development as footballers and individuals. In my opinion, an academy should nurture children, not treat them as symbols of institutional success. I also want to point out how Ranjit Bajaj not only intentionally fabricates his achievements to portray himself as a messiah for monetary benefit from passionate fans but also punch down on the young footballers of other clubs

I truly believe in the hard work and dedication shown by the kids of Minerva Academy to bring pride to the nation, but I no longer believe Ranjit Bajaj is the right person, and under him, Minerva Academy is the right environment for young footballers. I believe the academy deserves leadership that can unite the football community, earn public trust, and always place the interests of young players and Indian football above all else. For these reasons, I respectfully call for Ranjit Bajaj's resignation as Director of Minerva Academy Football Club.