In it to win IFL, says FC Bengaluru United coach

Bengaluru, 

Bengalureans will have something to cheer about next year after city club FC Bengaluru United earned promotion to the second division of the Indian Football League (IFL) on Friday. The Sevilla FC-associated club secured promotion after finishing second in the league standings, level on points with Kolkata’s United SC, but advanced on the basis of a superior goal difference. Even before the eight-match season began, midfielder Ribhav Sardesai said there was a sense of optimism within the camp.

“We had a feeling at the start of the season itself that we would do well because most of the players were retained from the previous season and we had the same coach. In a team sport like football, more than having big names, it is important how players function together. This season, we were not just a team but a family. That made the season special,” Sardesai said.

Head coach Nallappan Mohanraj credited the club’s planning and continuity for the successful campaign. “Proper scouting, team-building, and retaining most of the staff and key players from last season were the main factors. We also created an environment where players focus on the team rather than individual achievements” he said.

The IFL, previously known as the I-League, was once the top-tier competition in Indian football before the introduction of the Indian Super League (ISL). With promotion secured, the club is now preparing for the tougher challenges ahead. “In the IFL, we definitely expect higher quality, with foreign players, greater physicality, intensity, and a very competitive and longer league where teams are tactically stronger,” Sardesai said.

Mohanraj said the club would not be satisfied with merely participating in the competition. “We are not entering the IFL just to make up the numbers. We will give our best, make things difficult for every team, and our objective will be to become champions,” he said. The coach, however, said the club would not change its philosophy. “There will not be any major changes because playing to win has always been the objective of FC Bengaluru United, irrespective of the competition,” he said.

Sardesai also expressed confidence that the team could adapt to the higher level. “The major difference between I-League 2 and the IFL is the inclusion of foreign players. Among Indian players, there is not a huge difference in quality. The intensity and end-to-end nature of matches will be different, and the duration of the league will also be much longer,” he said.

Reflecting on the club’s achievement, Mohanraj said FC Bengaluru United aimed to be come a leading force in Indian football. “FC Bengaluru United is an identity and an emotion in Bengaluru as both a club and an academy. We started this project with the aim of becoming the best in Indian football, and we are on our way there. It took time to reach this stage, but now there is no looking back,” he said