NorthEast United FC

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NorthEast United
NorthEast United FC logo.svg
Full nameNorthEast United Football Club
Nickname(s)The Highlanders[1]
Short nameNEUFC
Founded13 April 2014; 7 years ago (2014-04-13)
GroundSarusajai Stadium, Guwahati
Capacity35,000
OwnerJohn Abraham
Jaya Balan
George John
ManagerKhalid Jamil
LeagueIndian Super League
2020–21Indian Super League, 3rd of 11
Playoffs: Semi-finals
WebsiteClub website
Current season
Departments of NorthEast United FC
Football pictogram.svg Football pictogram.svg Simple Game.svg
Football
(Men's) 		Football
(Reserves & youth) 		eSports[2]

NorthEast United FC is an Indian professional football club based in Guwahati, Assam that competes in the Indian Super League,[3] the top flight of Indian football.[4] The club was founded on 13 April 2014 during the inaugural season of Indian Super League. NorthEast United represent the 8 states of India known as North East India which consist Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Mizoram.[5]

History[]

Formation[]

In early 2014, it was announced that the All India Football Federation, the national federation for football in India, and IMG-Reliance would be accepting bids for ownership of eight of nine selected cities for the upcoming Indian Super League, an eight-team franchise league modeled along the lines of the Indian Premier League cricket tournament.[6] On 13 April 2014, it was announced that the Bollywood actor John Abraham and Shillong Lajong Football Club had won the bidding for the franchise.

On 16 July 2014, the club signed Joan Capdevila, a European Championship and World Cup winning defender with Spain, as its marquee player. He said: "India is a huge country and it should be a privilege for me to be a small part in popularizing this global game here and working with the young talented footballers of North East India".[7]

On 19 August the club hired its first manager, New Zealander Ricki Herbert, who had represented and managed his nation at World Cups.[8]

2014 season: Inaugural season[]

Main article: 2014 NorthEast United FC season
Spain international Joan Capdevila, club's first marquee player.[9]

The club signed Joan Capdevila, a European Championship and World Cup winning defender with Spain, as its marquee player. On 13 October 2014, the team won their first ISL match at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, Spaniard Koke scoring the only goal of the game to defeat Kerala Blasters.[10] The team did not make the end-of-season play-offs, finishing in last place among the eight teams.

2015 season: Narrowly missed play-offs[]

For their second season, NorthEast United signed former Portugal international Simão Sabrosa as their new marquee signing.[11] On 1 July 2015, the team announced their manager for the 2015 season, former Venezuela national coach, César Farías.[12] The team lost all three of their opening matches with Simão absent through injury, but then earned a 2–0 home win over Chennaiyin FC in which the marquee player won and dispatched an added-time penalty kick to open the scoring.[13] The club entered the top-four for semi-finals by the end of the season but lost their position to Chennaiyin, who defeated Pune City to gain 3 points and secure the spot.

2016 season: Nelo Vingada, Velez, Alfaro era[]

On 13 May 2016, NorthEast United announced Sérgio Farias as the club's new manager.[14] However, Sérgio Farias joined his former club Suphanburi FC for a second stint forcing NorthEast United to look for a new coach. On 9 July 2016, NorthEast United officially announced Sérgio Farias' exit.[15] On 23 July 2016, NorthEast United announced Nelo Vingada as the club's new manager.[16] The club also appointed Francisco Bruto Da Costa as their Assistant Manager.[17] The club again got a chance to enter the top-four for semi-finals if they defeat Kerala Blasters but lost and hence, losing their semi-final chance. The club scored 14 goals and conceded 14 goals in that season. More than half of the goals (8) were scored by the South American duo Nicholas Velez and Emiliano Alfaro with 3 and 5 goals respectively.

2017–18 season: A forgettable season[]

On 17 July 2017, in hope for a great season NorthEast United signed the young Portuguese manager Joao Carlos Pires de Deus.[18] After playing its preseason games in Antalya, Turkey. The team began its season against the ISL debutants Jamshedpur FC. The game ended in a draw with neither side managing to find the back of the net despite NorthEast playing against a 10 men Jamshedpur in the last 20 minutes.[19] Next they played Chennaiyin FC in Chennai, where they failed to keep the record of never losing in Chennai after losing 3–0.[20] NorthEast witnessed their first win of the season where they defeated Delhi Dynamos 0–2 in the opponent's ground. The first goal of the match came from Marcinho in the 17th minute, when a cross by Halicharan Narzary from the left flank found him unmarked inside the box. The second goal came from the striker Danilo in the 22nd minute, when he pressured the Delhi custodian Albino Gomes and made him make error inside his own box, leaving an open goal for Danilo to score his first and last goal of the season and, 500th goal of the league.[21] It was followed by a 4 match losing streak right after which the Portuguese manager was sacked.[22] The team management brought in the ex-Chelsea boss Avram Grant as a technical advisor who acted as a caretaker manager in the absence of Joao.[23] He was later promoted to Head Coach on 12 January 2018, after the team released an official statement about Joao's sacking.[24] The team won 2 out of the first 3 games under Grant, where they defeated FC Goa 2–1[25] and Chennaiyin FC 3–1[26] at home. Seiminlen Doungel scored the first ever hat-trick for NorthEast United in that match. The team failed to win a single match after that, ending the season in a long 8 match winless streak in which they drew 1 match and lost all other matches. They finished the season at the last position managing to win only 3 matches and scoring 12, which was the lowest for the season. Overall the team didn't perform well enough. It was the worst performance in the season since the club came into existence

On 19 February 2018, AIFF announced the Indian Super Cup as a replacement for the Federation Cup. It will be played between 16 teams, the top 6 teams of ISL and I-League and the remaining 4 will be picked through a qualifier played between the bottom 4 from both league. NorthEast United participated in the Cup Qualifiers for the 4 remaining spots. NorthEast United played their qualifier match against Gokulam Kerala on 15 March 2018 which they lost 2–0 and got eliminated.

2018–19 season: Eelco Schatorrie era, maiden play-offs[]

2018-19 is the fifth season of the club's existence. The season started with a positive start under coach Eelco Schatorrie with NorthEast United drawing with Goa and two consecutive wins over ATK and defending champions Chennaiyin. Against Chennaiyin, NorthEast United made a thrilling comeback after down 3-1 in 35th minute to 3-3 in first half and winning the match 4-3. After Some thrilling victories against Kerala Blasters and Chennaiyan the club strengthened its way to the playoffs. After playing 17 matches and getting 28 points Northeast United finally qualified for the playoffs with Jamshedpur losing a chance to the playoffs with a draw against Chennaiyan FC and also for Super Cup. They also lost the fewest matches and conceded the fewest goals of any team in the league. They also made a club record of 29 points. Former Nigerian international Bartholomew Ogbeche became the highest goalscorer of the club scoring 12 goals. NorthEast United became a major force in the league driven by the trio of Borges-Ogbeche-Gallego. They defeated Bengaluru in the first leg of semi-finals with 'Boot Jolokia' Mascia scoring in the dying moments in the game. Northeast United lost their second leg against Bengaluru which also saw Federico Gallego getting injured. The aggregate score was 4-2.

In the Super Cup, the team reached quarter-finals after fellow northeastern club NEROCA didn't play the match in round of 16 hence, giving them a walkover. In the quarter-finals, they lost to Chennaiyin by 1-2. After a successful season, the team was 'dismantled'. Head Coach Schattorie and top-scorer Ogbeche moving to Kerala Blasters, Borges moving to Mumbai City.

2019–20 season[]

The club appointed Robert Jarni, as their head coach and also signed the Ghanaian legend Asamoah Gyan and Indian U17 youngsters Ninthoi Meetei and Lalengmawia. The season started well for the club and they managed to stay unbeaten for 6 games and on the top half of the table. But the club failed to carry on the momentum and remained winless for the rest of the season. The club also lost their scoring boots not managing to score in 6 matches out of 7 matches that followed and losing its Marquee striker Asamoah Gyan to an injury in the early half of the season. The head coach Robert Jarni was sacked in the later half of the season and replaced by Assistant Manager and Head of Academy Khalid Jamil. Robert Jarni managed his final match against Jamshedpur which ended in a 3-3 draw. The club failed to reach the play-offs, and were at 9th place at the end of the season.

2020–21 season: Khalid Jamil era, second play-offs[]

The club appointed Gerard Nus, a Spanish manager as their head coach and also signed the Mauritanian international Khassa Camara, Ghanaian striker Kwesi Appiah and Belgian defender Benjamin Lambot. The club announced the retention of their star goalkeeper Subashish Roy and some local Indian players. They also retained their Uruguyan midfielder Federico Gallego. They signed some Indian players including Rocharzella, Imran, Ashutosh Mehta and Gurjinder Kumar. They signed Luis Machado, Idrissa Sylla and Dylan Fox as their AFC player. The team played their first match of the season against Mumbai City FC and won it by 1-0 as Kwesi Appiah scored a penalty. The club parted ways with coach Gerard Nus after 11 matches in the ISL season.[27] He was replaced by Khalid Jamil as interim head coach. Under Khalid, the club saw a nine match unbeaten run, which also helped in reaching the play-offs for second time in their history.[28] On road to play-off, they also made a ten match unbeaten run, their longest ever. The club drew 1-1 with ATK Mohun Bagan in first leg of semi-final and lost the second leg 1-2, thus ending their campaign with 2-3 on aggregate and 11 game unbeaten run.[29]

Crest, colours and kits[]

The crest of NorthEast United FC is featured with 8 stars at the top representing each state of Northeast India. The crest is designed with red, black and white applications, with the club name written in bold letters between the main crest and the stars. The club changed the crest with an entirely gold crest for its third season of ISL. It was changed back to the original color after the end of the season.

Kit evolution[]

2014
2015
2016–18
2018–19
2019–21
2021–present

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors[]

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor Back sponsor Chest sponsor Sleeve sponsor
2014–15 Adidas HTC Haier Garnier Men
2015–16 Performax AirAsia
2016–17 Payism Yamaha McDowell's No.1, DTDC
2017–18 McDowell's No.1 Jio Garnier Men
2018–19
2019–20 Federal Bank[30] Stihl JA Entertainment McDowell's No.1, Meghalaya Tourism
2020–21 JA Entertainment Parimatch News
2021–present SIX5SIX Amrit Cement Imperial Blue BKT, Socios

Stadium[]

Main article: Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium
Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati, home of NorthEast United.

NorthEast United FC play their home matches at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati. In 2014, to meet FIFA regulations, the stadium was renovated and its capacity was increased from 12,000 to 35,000. Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium hosted the opening ceremony of ISL 2016. NorthEast had the highest attendance on 20 October 2016, when a record attendance of 32,844 turned up to witness the match between NorthEast United and Chennaiyin FC. The capacity was again reduced to 23,850 after the installation of bucket seats for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. The stadium saw the lowest attendance in the history of ISL when only 1,121 fans turned up to witness the match played between NorthEast United FC and Kerala Blasters FC on 17 February 2018.[31]

In 2020–21 season, due to COVID-19 pandemic, all the games were played in the state of Goa. In Goa, they played their home games in Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco da Gama.[32]

Supporters[]

The unofficial supporters group of the club is the Highlander Brigade.[33][34] The fan club can be traced back to its roots where it was merely a WhatsApp group formed out of a handful of followers of a Facebook page "NorthEast United FC Fans". They not only support NorthEast United but also support the Indian team.

Before the fourth season of the Indian Super League, keeping an eye on the occasion, a major chunk of the group members decided to meet and attempt to do something big. And under the tutelage of key members helming certain responsibilities, the Brigade grew and spread out rapidly.

The Highlander Brigade host football-related events in the city. To ensure that the football culture remains proactive in the city, the brigade plans to indulge in more fan activities in the future as well.[33]

Even after a lackluster fourth season for the club, the Highlander Brigade could be seen cheering them on with the red-white-black flags and banners thumping down the beats.

Players[]

Further information: List of NorthEast United FC players

Current squad[]

As of 24 January 2022[35]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK India IND Subhasish Roy Chowdhury
2 DF Australia AUS Patrick Flottmann
3 DF India IND Tondonba Singh
4 DF India IND Provat Lakra
5 DF India IND Gurjinder Kumar
7 MF India IND Rochharzela
8 MF India IND Imran Khan
11 MF Austria AUT Marco Sahanek
12 MF India IND Pragyan Medhi
14 MF Spain ESP Hernán Santana (Captain)
15 FW India IND V. P. Suhair
16 DF India IND Mohammed Irshad
17 FW India IND Laldanmawia Ralte
21 FW India IND Manvir Singh
No. Pos. Nation Player
22 FW India IND Gani Nigam
23 DF India IND Jestin George
24 DF India IND Joe Zoherliana
25 DF India IND Nabin Rabha
26 FW Jamaica JAM Deshorn Brown
27 FW India IND Lalkhawpuimawia
29 MF India IND Sehnaj Singh
32 GK India IND Mirshad Michu
33 GK India IND Sanjiban Ghosh
40 FW Brazil BRA Marcelinho Leite Pereira (on loan from Rajasthan United)
43 MF India IND Pragyan Gogoi
44 GK India IND Nikhil Deka
49 FW India IND William Lalnunfela
66 DF India IND Mashoor Shereef
79 DF Senegal SEN Zakaria Diallo

Other player(s) under contract[]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
10 MF Uruguay URU Federico Gallego (injured)
13 MF India IND Emanuel Lalchhanchhuaha (injured)

Reserves and academy[]

Main article: NorthEast United FC Reserves and Academy

Ownership[]

NorthEast United is owned by John Abraham, who is an Indian Bollywood actor, producer and former model. They also have Jaya Balan, a perfume businessman as their partner and co-owner.[36]

The consortium that bid for the franchise also included then Meghalaya based I-League club Shillong Lajong FC and their owner Larsingh Ming Sawyan, and Guwahati-based businessman Sanjiv Narain. Sanjiv Narain exited before the start of the first season, while Shillon Lajong exited the partnership by the end of second season.[36]

During his younger days, John had an ambition for playing football for India before becoming an actor. When he got the opportunity for investing in a football club during the formation of ISL, instead of investing in his hometown of Mumbai, he invested in Northeast India, a football hotbed in the country. His wife Priya Runchal is the chairperson of the club.[37]

Personnel[]

Current technical staff[]

See also: List of NorthEast United FC managers
Khalid Jamil is the current NorthEast United manager.
Position Name
Head coach India Khalid Jamil
Assistant Coach India Alison Kharsyntiew
Goalkeeping coach Spain Asier Rey
Fitness coach India Abijith Subramanya Prasad
Analyst India Nitesh Singh
Physiotherapists India Dileep Kumar Jagadesan

India Sony Chittilappilly Sunny

Club doctor India Dr Abhinav
Reserves and U-18 Head Coach India Subam Rabha

Last updated: 16 November 2021
Source: [1]

Management[]

Position Name
Chairperson India Priya Runchal
Head of Academy India Khalid Jamil[38]
Technical Director Israel Ohad Efrat
Club Secretary India Akshay Basrur
Team Manager India Shahashad Muhammed
Media Manager India Arindam Sarmah
Social Media Manager India Kaustuv Kashyap

Statistics and records[]

Further information: List of NorthEast United FC records and statistics

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ NorthEast United FC team profile Sportskeeda. Retrieved 2 August 2021
  2. ^ "https://twitter.com/neutdfc/status/1452908940270792707". Twitter. Retrieved 26 October 2021. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  3. ^ "ISL 2021-22: Bengaluru FC Record Classic 4-2 Win Against NorthEast United". Outlook India. 20 November 2021. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  4. ^ Basu, Saumyajit. "Stars embrace football through Indian Super League". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 9 June 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  5. ^ "John Abraham: From Bollywood star to the football boardroom at NorthEast United". 23 March 2019. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  6. ^ "Indian Super League sees interest from 30 franchise bidders". Business Standard. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  7. ^ Bali, Rahul (16 July 2014). "Capdevila: 'It's a privilege to popularize football in India'". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  8. ^ "Herbert 'looking forward' to Indian Super League". 3news. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  9. ^ "NORTHEAST UNITED FC SIGN JOAN CAPDEVILA AS THEIR MARQUEE PLAYER". www.shillonglajong.com. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  10. ^ Ganguily, Abhishek (13 October 2014). "ISL: NorthEast United ride high on Koke, beat Kerala Blasters 1–0". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  11. ^ "Former Portugal winger Simao Sabrosa joins Indian Super League". ESPN FC. 26 June 2015. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  12. ^ "From ISL to Copa America: Cesar Farias taking long steps". The Bridge. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  13. ^ "Indian Super League: NorthEast United 2–0 Chennaiyin FC: Simao & Velez earn first points for NorthEast". Goal.com. 20 October 2015. Archived from the original on 8 January 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  14. ^ "Sergio Farias to NorthEast United". NorthEast United FC (Twitter). 13 May 2016. Archived from the original on 13 June 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  15. ^ "Sergio Farias exits NorthEast United". NorthEast United FC (Twitter). 9 July 2016. Archived from the original on 13 June 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  16. ^ "NorthEast United FC announce Nelo Vingada as the club's new manager". NorthEast United FC (Twitter). 15 July 2016. Archived from the original on 11 June 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  17. ^ "NorthEast United FC rope in Francisco Bruto Da Costa as assistant coach for ISL 3". ANI News. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  18. ^ "Joao Carlos Pires signs with NorthEast United". NorthEast United FC (Twitter).
  19. ^ "NorthEast drew against 10 men Jamshedpur". 18 November 2018. Archived from the original on 6 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  20. ^ "Chennaiyin defeats NorthEast". 23 November 2018. Archived from the original on 6 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  21. ^ "NorthEast register first win". 2 December 2018. Archived from the original on 6 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  22. ^ "Joao de Deus sacked". Archived from the original on 4 January 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  23. ^ "Grant to take over as stand-in coach". Archived from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  24. ^ "Grant officially NorthEast head coach". Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  25. ^ "First win for Grant". 6 January 2018. Archived from the original on 6 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  26. ^ "Len hat-trick". Archived from the original on 20 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  27. ^ "Same story continues at struggling NorthEast United camp; coach Gerard Nus departs". 13 January 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  28. ^ "NorthEast United 2-0 Kerala Blasters: VP Suhair, Lalengmawia send the Highlanders to the playoffs | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  29. ^ "ISL 2020-21: ATK Mohun Bagan set final date with Mumbai City | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  30. ^ "Northeast United FC Sponsors List 2020". sportskhabri.com. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  31. ^ "lowest ISL attendance". 17 February 2018. Archived from the original on 6 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  32. ^ Mergulhao, Marcus (18 August 2020). "ISL opts for league standings to decide groups and home grounds". The Times of India. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  33. ^ a b Desk, Digital (21 November 2020). "Highlander Brigade highlights Northeast India's rich football heritage through graffiti » News Live TV » Sports". News Live TV. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  34. ^ "Highlander Brigade write open letter to NorthEast United". Khel Now. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  35. ^ "Players". Indian Super League. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  36. ^ a b Choudhury, Srijon. "ISL 2020-21: Who is the owner of NorthEast United FC?". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  37. ^ "John Abraham: From Bollywood star to the football boardroom at NorthEast United". 23 March 2019. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  38. ^ "Former Aizawl FC coach Khalid Jamil joins NorthEast United FC". The News Mill. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.

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