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Punjab FC

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Not to be confused with RoundGlass Punjab.
Minerva Academy FC
Full nameMinerva Academy FC
Nickname(s)The Warriors[1]
Short nameRPFC
Founded2005; 19 years ago (2005) (as Minerva Academy F.C.)[2]
2017; 7 years ago (2017) (as Minerva Punjab FC)[3]
2020; 4 years ago (2020) (as Minerva Academy)
GroundGuru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana
Capacity30,000
OwnerRanjit Bajaj
ManagerYan Law
LeagueI-League
WebsiteClub website

Minerva Academy Football Club (formerly known as Minerva Punjab FC)[4] is an Indian professional football club based in Mohali, Punjab. The club competes in the I-League, one of the two coexisting premier football leagues in Indian football system.[5] Punjab FC, since inception in 2013 have won the I-League title once, the Punjab State Super Football League title twice,[6] and were also the runners-up of the I-League 2nd Division.[7] They were the champions of I-League in the 2017–18 season.

On 30 October 2019, the announcement was made that after a partnership agreement with RoundGlass Sports Private Ltd. the club has been renamed as Punjab Football Club.[8][9]

History

As Minerva Punjab FC

The team was established in 2005 as Minerva Academy and has both the football and cricket sections.[10] Initially, the team took part in its first major tournament at the national level i.e. I-League 2nd Division and were the runners up for the season.[11] They lost to five-time I-League champions Dempo SC in the Final.[12] They were promoted to I-League after an impressive stint at the 2nd Division. They finished their first-ever I-League season at the second last position. They also participated in the 2016 Durand Cup.[13] They came last in the group stage and hence couldn't qualify for the semi-finals.

Next season, surprising everyone, they won the I-League title, which was their first league win ever in the top division. They became the first ones from North India to win the league since 1996. This title made the team qualify for their first-ever Asian stint. The club qualified for Group Stage of the 2019 AFC Cup along with Indian Super League side Chennaiyin and the Preliminary Round 2. However, they lost to the Iranian side Saipa in the preliminary round of the 2019 AFC Champions League and therefore couldn't make it to the play-offs.[14] But, in their AFC Cup stint, they impressed with their unbeaten run of five games until the last group fixture, which they lost against Abahani Limited Dhaka. Minerva were also placed in the Round of 16 bracket of the 2018 Indian Super Cup in which they lost to Jamshedpur 4–5 on penalties.

In the 2018-19 I-League, the club managed to win four of their twenty fixtures and finished ninth in the league table. They were placed in the 2019 Indian Super Cup qualifying round but they refused to play in the tournament protesting against the uncertainty of I-League clubs' future in Indian football. Thereafter, they were also not invited to play the 2019 Durand Cup, which was disappointing for the Punjabi side.

As Punjab FC

On 30 October 2019, the announcement was made that after a partnership agreement with RoundGlass Sports Private Ltd. the club has been renamed as Punjab Football Club.[15][16]

Ahead of the 2020–21 I-League season, RoundGlass Sports completes the acquisition of Punjab FC. They launched a new football team called RoundGlass Punjab. The Minerva Academy continued its operations.

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2015—2017 T10 Sports None
2017—2019 Astro[17] Apollo Tyres[18]
2019—Present Spartan[19]

Stadium

Main article: Guru Nanak Stadium
Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana
A view of the stadium

Punjab FC plays at the Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana, Punjab, which has a capacity of 15,000 spectators.[20] They previously used Tau Devi Lal Stadium for their home matches of I-League for a season.[21]

The club shifted the base to other locations for their Asian stint. During the 2019 AFC Cup group stage, Minerva played two of its home games at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati,[22] and one of the three home games at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

Current squad

As of 1 December 2019[23]

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 Bhaskar Roy
3 DF Liberia LBR Teah Dennis Jr.
4 DF Brazil BRA Danilo Quipapá
5 DF India IND Anwar Ali
6 MF India IND Souvik Das
8 MF India IND Maheson Singh Tongbram
9 FW India IND Bali Gagandeep
10 FW Brazil BRA Sérgio Barboza
13 DF India IND Bikash Yumnam
15 FW India IND Sanju Pradhan (Captain)
16 GK Nepal   NEP Kiran Kumar Limbu
18 FW India IND Beikhokhei Beingaichho
19 FW India IND Makan Chote
21 DF India IND Yumnam Raju
22 GK India IND Nidhin Lal
23 FW Nigeria NGA Danjuma Ademola Kuti
No. Pos. Nation Player
24 DF India IND Thoiba Singh Moirangthem
25 DF India IND Devansh Dabas
26 DF India IND Imanuel Lalthazuala
28 DF India IND Samuel Shadap
29 FW Cameroon CMR Aser Pierrick Dipanda
32 FW India IND Himanshu Jangra
33 DF India IND Munmun Lugun
38 DF India IND Lalrinchhana Tochhawng
50 FW India IND Moinuddin Khan
— DF India IND Akashdeep Singh
— DF India IND Akhil Verma
— MF India IND Amandeep Singh
— FW Brazil BRA Valci Júnior
— FW India IND Luntinmang Haokip
— MF India IND Cavin Lobo

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
— FW England ENG Jay Hart (at India Punjab Reserve)
No. Pos. Nation Player

Support and rivalry

Supporters

A club recognised fan club by the name The Warriors has been in support since 2018. The Guru Nanak Stadium has seen an average attendance of 12,000.

Records

Seasons

Season Div. Tms. Pos. Attendance/G Federation Cup/Super Cup Durand Cup AFC Champions League AFC Cup
As Minerva Punjab F.C.
2015–16 IL2D 10 2 – DNP
2016–17 IL 10 9 2,757 DNP Group Stage DNP
2017–18 IL 10 1 5,736 Round of 16 DNP Preliminary Round 2 Group Stage
2018–19 IL 11 9 5,624 DNP
As Punjab F.C.
2019–20 IL 11 3 3,945 DNP DNP DNP DNP
2020–21 Punjab State Super Football League Tier II – – DNP DNP DNP DNP
Key
  • Tms. = Number of teams
  • Pos. = Position in league
  • Attendance/G = Average league attendance

Seasons by season

As of 2 November 2017
Year I-League Federation
Cup 		AFC Champions League Top Scorer(s)
Div P W D L GF GA Pts Pos. Player(s) Goals
As Minerva Punjab F.C.
2015–16 IL2 18 11 4 3 30 14 37 2nd DNP DNP Nigeria Kareem Omolaja 4
2016–17 IL 18 2 7 9 17 33 13 9th Nigeria Loveday Enyinnaya; Nigeria Kareem Omolaja 3
2017–18 IL 18 11 2 5 24 16 35 1st Bhutan Chencho Gyeltshen 7
2018–19 IL 20 4 6 10 10 19 18 9th Ivory Coast Lancine Touré
Nigeria Philip Njoku
Ghana William Opoku 		2
As Punjab F.C.
2019–20 IL TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
DNP − Did not play

Head coach's record

updated as of now

Name Nationality From To P W D L GF GA Win%
Surinder Singh  India 2015[24] 2017 36 13 11 12 47 47 036.11
Khogen Singh  India 2017 2018[25] 19 11 2 6 24 16 057.89
Paul Munster  Northern Ireland 2018[26][27] 2019 16 3 5 8 8 15 018.75
Sachin Badadhe  India 2019[28] 2019 2 1 0 1 1 4 050.00
Yan Law  India 2019[29] 2020 5 2 2 1 8 8 040.00
Yan Law  India 2020 2021 0 0 0 0 0 0 !—

Reserves and Youth

Further information: Punjab FC Reserves and Academy
Roundglass Punjab youth team during training
Minerva Punjab youth team (in blue) with Afghanistan national youth team during the inauguration of Subroto Cup in 2018.

Punjab Football Club Reserves and Academy are the reserve team and youth system of Punjab F.C., based in Ludhiana, Punjab. The reserve side participates in the I-League 2nd Division, the second division of Indian football league system.[30] The youth system of the club has a residential academy composed of teams from three age groups that participates in the various division in the Elite youth league system.[31]

Honours & Titles

Domestic

1st place, gold medalist(s) Champions (1): 2017–18[32][33]
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-up (1): 2015–16
1st place, gold medalist(s) Champions (2): 2018,[34] 2019

Continental record

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Position
2019 AFC Champions League Preliminary round 2 Iran Saipa 4–0 Eliminated
2019[35] AFC Cup Group E India Chennaiyin 1–1 0–0 3rd of 4 (Group Stage)
Bangladesh Abahani Limited Dhaka 0–1 2–2
Nepal Manang Marshyangdi Club 2–2 1–1

See also

References

  1. ^ Punjab FC (The Warriors) beats Indian Arrows, riding on Dicka's hat-trick Sportstar.theHindu.com. Retrieved 27 March 2021
  2. ^ "Minerva academy bag top honours". Tribune India. 26 July 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  3. ^ Punjab Football Club profile the-aiff.com. Retrieved 28 February 2021
  4. ^ "I-League Profile: Minerva Punjab FC - Can the newcomers spring a surprise?". Yahoo. 7 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  5. ^ "I-League: Punjab FC beat Real Kashmir 1-0". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Minerva Punjab FC trash Dalbir FA 3-0 in Punjab Football League". Minerva Punjab FC. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  7. ^ "I-League Profile: Minerva Punjab FC - Can the newcomers spring a surprise?". Yahoo. 7 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Minerva Punjab renamed as Punjab Football Club". Sportstar. The Hindu. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  9. ^ "I-League Club Minerva Punjab FC Renamed as Punjab Football Club". News18. PTI. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  10. ^ Minerva Punjab football club profile and seasons worldfootball.net. Retrieved 23 March 2021
  11. ^ "Minerva AFC Continue Their Domination In Second Division League". I-League. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  12. ^ Results, Fixtures &Table: 2nd Division I-League i-league.org. Retrieved 23 March 2021
  13. ^ "Durand Cup 2016: Minerva Academy FC Gets Direct Entry Along With 7 Other Clubs". Indian Football Network. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  14. ^ "AFC Champions League 2019 qualifier: SAIPA FC thrash Minerva Punjab 4-0". Goal.com. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  15. ^ "Minerva Punjab renamed as Punjab Football Club". Sportstar. The Hindu. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  16. ^ "I-League Club Minerva Punjab FC Renamed as Punjab Football Club". News18. PTI. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  17. ^ FC, MINERVA PUNJAB (28 November 2017). "We thank all our Sponsors and Partners who backed us for the ongoing @ILeagueOfficial season #chakdephatte #IndianFootball". @Minerva_AFC. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  18. ^ FC, MINERVA PUNJAB (24 November 2017). "Join us in welcoming @apollotyres as our official title sponsors for the upcoming @ILeagueOfficial season #chakdephatte". @Minerva_AFC. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  19. ^ "Spartan sports will be the official kit sponsor of Minerva Punjab FC for the upcoming season". Minerva Punjab FC. Twitter. 10 August 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  20. ^ "I-LEAGUE 2019/20: PUNJAB FC TO PLAY THEIR HOME MATCHES AT LUDHIANA". indiafooty.com. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  21. ^ Tau Devi Lal Stadium Archive indiafooty.com. Retrieved 31 May 2021
  22. ^ Chennaiyin takes on Minerva Punjab in crunch AFC Cup group stage match in Guwahati dtnext.in. Retrieved 18 April 2021
  23. ^ "Squad". Soccerway. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  24. ^ Sen, Debayen (28 May 2016). "Dempo, Minerva eye I-League promotion in League 2 decider". ESPN. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  25. ^ "Khogen Singh quits I-League champions Minerva Punjab". Goal.com. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  26. ^ Crawford, Steven (8 August 2018). "Paul Munster joins Indian champions". News Letter. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  27. ^ "Minerva Punjab FC". Apollo Minerva Punjab FC. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  28. ^ Meet Sachin Badadhe, The Tea Shop Owner Whose Coaching Helped Minerva Punjab FC Win The I-League indiatimes.com. Retrieved 7 May 2021
  29. ^ Punjab FC coach from iconic restaurant family telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 18 April 2021
  30. ^ Punjab FC reservers in the I-League 2nd Division Goal.com. Retrieved 27 March 2021
  31. ^ "Something never done before in I-League! Ranjit Bajaj sets history with sale of Punjab FC | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  32. ^ i-league.org I-League 2017–18 final points table Soccerway. Retrieved 15 March 2021
  33. ^ "I-League 2017-18: Minerva Punjab presented with winners' trophy; NEROCA's Gift Raikhan named season's best coach". 22 March 2018.
  34. ^ "Minerva Punjab clinch 32nd Punjab Super League title". khelnow.com. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  35. ^ AFC Cup 2019: Stats stats.the-afc.com. Retrieved 15 June 2021

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Punjab_FC&oldid=1032316801"