
Shillong, Feb 1: NorthEast United FC (NEUFC), the Guwahati-based football club, began the season by bagging the Durand Cup 2024. With the ongoing ISL 2024-25, and NEUFC winning just one of the five last matches, CEO Mandar Tamhane said he was positive about the team’s performance and that is on the right track.
“Qualifying in the top 6 is the first step for us to go into the playoff. We won one of the five last matches and drew four. I look at it as how many points we have gained… We have remained unbeaten in the past 6-7 matches and I look at it positively and I am proud of all the players and the coach,” Tamhane told Meghalaya Monitor ahead of the ISL match in Shillong on February 7.
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The Highlanders, who are in the fourth position now, will face Mumbai City FC in Shillong. They won the last match against Hyderabad FC 4-1 on January 29.
“However, six matches are remaining and we still have 18 points to play for. It is a big margin to either qualify or not. It is a long way to go. We will focus on one game at a time… but I feel we are on the right track,” Tamhane added.
Football academy in Shillong
On the progress of the Centre of Excellence for Football in Meghalaya, Tamhane said the land allocated to NEUFC for the project needs to be flattened. The state government will start the work after the district council election in February.
“Hopefully in 2 to 3 months, we can start our work there… We want to start the academy as soon as possible,” said Tamhane.
About the satellite units for training talents at the grassroots level, Tamhane said the work has progressed in three states — Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh — where MoUs have been signed. The infrastructure is also in place.
“We are in the state to get going with the football associations in the respective states,” he added.
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